Immune
by Paradoxygen
Summary: Four unlikely survivors make a bold plan to escape the infection. Their leader, a 19 year old girl with a shotgun makes a promise that nobody gets left behind. OC's   L4D2 characters.
1. Knew You Would Make It

_If two months ago someone would've told me that I would end up leading a group of three other people cross the country with nothing but my wits and a shotgun keeping us alive, I would've laughed myself into a coma. I'm not the type to hold a gun let alone fire it. The most important thing I've ever led was a costume team in a school play._

_Yet here I am._

_The green flu had spread quickly through the south. The media could barely cover it as fast as it was being spread and evactuations were so hasty and poorly executed that many people were left behind. I was one of those unlucky people. But I didn't just lay down and wait for the horde like many people who were left for dead. I picked up my father's shotgun and set out to find other survivors and maybe...just maybe...make it through this._

_-The Recovered Journal of Morgan Ambrose, dated October 16th, 2011._

* * *

><p>Morgan stepped over the smouldering rubble of yet another abandoned car. Her bare legs were sticky with dry blood and dirt, the hem of her cut off shorts a little higher than was tasteful. But who was around to see? Her cowboy boots crunched the broken glass beneath her. She was on edge, no longer finding comfort in silence. Perhaps walking along the freeway had been a bad choice. It was unbearably hot and she could feel her shoulders burning.<p>

She turned and walked down the nearest exit ramp, eyes alert to every shadow. A trash can fell over to her left and she turned quickly, her loose blonde braid whipping off her shoulder. She cocked the shot gun and rushed toward the sound. A human shape, slumped over. Her finger found the trigger.

"Please don't shoot!" A frightened male voice choked.

She lowered the barrel and looked up. "Get in the light so I can see you."

He shuffled a bit behind the can and stepped out. He was wearing a hoodie and black boxers with red Converse on his feet. A bit pale, tall and lanky with a scruffy black beard and matching hair...possibly homeless but oddly cute. "My name is Alan...please don't kill me."

"I'm not out here to kill survivors." She laughed, holding the gun in one hand against her leg. "Morgan, good to meet you. Got a weapon?"

"I found an axe..." He replied, holding up the sharp fireman's axe.

"Good, that'll do for now. You coming with me or holding down that uhh...trash can?" Morgan asked, a smirk on her lips as she gestured to the pile of garbage.

"It isn't what it looks like...I was thinking about going into the gas station but I heard a noise and ran away. Then I tripped over the trash can." Alan replied, laughing a little.

"You didn't go inside to check for supplies?"

"No."

"Then let's go. I'm on my way to see if my friend made it. I could use a med pack or food. Hell, anything really."

"You're going to go in there? I heard a noise, and not a good noise like a kitten. It was a bad noise, like a gurgle."

"Boomer." Morgan said, holding up the gun. "Easy kill."

"Boomer?" He asked, following after her with axe in hand.

"A special type of infected. Fat and all around nasty to look at. They spew nasty bile that attracts infected. It isn't something you want on you." She explained, walking toward the station with wide strides.

"We should just forget about it!" he pleaded, holding his weapon nervously.

"I don't think so. All that processed garbage keeps well and is loaded with sugar...caffiene...delicious."

* * *

><p><em>My childhood was spent watching horror movies. Now I was in one. When the Green Flu hit, my parents and I were at the movies. It was an average Friday night, family night. We had just finished dinner, and we were in line when the first horde hit. We had heard about the undead pushing forward. The military said they were going to stop it before it got to us. We were seperated during the attack. Big trucks pulled in shortly after, grabbing people left and right, shooting anything that moved. I escaped quickly, returning to the house. After a few days my parents never returned.<em>

_I grabbed my fathers sniper, hunting rifle, and pistol and got to the roof; my trusty bag at my side._

_-Found inside the journal of Morgan Ambrose, date unknown. Believed to belong to Kaylee._

* * *

><p>Morgan entered the building first, shining the light mounted on her gun across the room. She could feel Alan's warm breath on her neck and wondered how he survived this long. A sickening gurgle filled the room and she took a step into the store. Her finger rested on the trigger, waiting to see the bulging mound of flesh. The slow walk forward took her all the way to the back of the store. Alan was nervously looking arround the aisles, axe in his trembling hands.<p>

She slowly leaned her ear against the door of the mens' bathroom. It was just as she thought. Unless some poor survivor was in there with the worst upset stomach this world had ever seen, the boomer was in the bathroom.

Stepping away from the door, she gestured over to Alan. He walked over, his shoes squeaking slightly. "Alan." She whispered, "It is in there. I need to kill it without opening the door. Any ideas?"

He thought for a moment and looked around, "No. Let's just grab supplies and get out."

"That works too. Just stay quiet."

"Gotcha."

They split up and moved around the small store, scooping up salvagable supplies from the shelves and stuffing them into each of their packs. Morgan found some shot gun ammo under the counter and took it greedily. Alan was taking as much junk food as he could carry, anything that wasn't opened or spoiled.

Morgan walked along the aisle near the windows, eyes scanning across newspapers. 'Where is CEDA?' the headlines read. She looked past these bitterly when a fallen display caught her attention. Her boot heels clicked on the tile as she bent down. It was a hat display, the ones on the floor tattered and destroyed. But there, still hanging on the display, was a simple woven cowboy hat. She picked it up and put it on her head, checking her appearance in the mirror. Perfect.

"Let's get out of here." Alan said, standing by the door with his full pack. As she walked over to meet him, the bathroom door crashed open. Alan screamed and the boomer yelled a gooey roar of his own, ready to spew. Morgan pushed Alan outside and fired two shots at the belly of the beast. It exploded in a bloody mess of bile and slime. She looked up, the brim of her new hat splattered with blood, her face clean and protected. She smiled.

Alan got up from the ground. "That was-"

"Awesome, yes."

"I was going to say scary as Hell, but yeah that works too."

Morgan laughed and picked up her pack, walking down the road toward a housing development. "Come on, it isn't far to Kaylee's."

* * *

><p>Kaylee layed on her belly on top of the roof of her house, skin was red from the sun. She stared through the scope of her sniper, the butt against her shoulder, finger on the trigger. She squeezed the trigger, making her already sore shoulder tense with pain. The brains from the zombie spewed out of its head and over the concrete.<p>

* * *

><p>"This way. Stay close behind me." Morgan spoke, leading the way down the dismantled neighborhood.<p>

"No problem." Alan smiled to himself, liking the curve of her butt in her cut off shorts.

When the zombie ahead blew into pieces, she followed the path of the bullet with her eyes. There on the roof was a lone figure, most likely female.

"What was that?" Alan gasped.

"A sniper. We found Kaylee."

"I should've known it would be the women surviving the infection. They're so much stronger than men."

"Trying to flatter me?"

"You know it's true."

Morgan smiled and walked toward Kaylee's house. She took off her hat and waved it to get her friend's attention without making too much noise and alerting any nearby infected.

Kaylee waved back at the figure. Looking around, she collected her things and quickly, as silently as possible, disappeared to the back of the house. She reappeared when she hopped over the wooden fence.

Morgan ran over and hugged her friend. "I had no doubt you would survive this."

Returning the hug, Kaylee smiled. "I figured you'd find me!" Noticing Alan behind Morgan, she added, "And you found a pantsless homeless man. How..nice."

"Pretty sure we are all homeless now." Alan spoke. "But I wasn't before this."

"This is Alan." Morgan said. "He'll be coming with us. Does your mom's car still work?"

"Hello Alan," Kaylee smiled at him. "You've got a good point there, and yes it does." She held up the keys.

"Then you're driving. I need to get off my feet." Morgan said. "We just found plenty of supplies."

"Alright!" Kaylee fist pumped the air then ran to the Honda Tuson. She opened the back of the spacious car. "We can put the supplies in here if you want. Where are we going?"

"Head toward the west coast then follow it north west. Once we are out of Florida, we are making as straight a shot as possible to the Pacific, then North. The infection shouldn't have spread that far. If the United states are lost, then we try Canada. Worst cast scenerio...Alaska." Morgan explained, shutting the back after loading in the supplies.

Alan climbed into the backseat and put on his belt. "I'm glad you have a plan."

"Yeah, I was just going to end up driving around if you didn't show up," Kaylee said starting the car. She plugged her Zune into the auxelry cord. "I am not living in a world without music," she mummbled throwing the car into reverse and pulling out of the drive way, then down the street.


	2. Every Shot Counts

The three didn't say much as they rode, idle chit chat the last thing on there minds. All three were alert. Kaylee's eyes darted around for any sign of movement. They hadn't gotten far in their small town when up ahead they saw a a figure running across the road. A hunched over figure in a dirty torn white shorts and blue shorts ran after him.

"Oh shit!" Kaylee exclaimed, hitting the gear and accelerating at an alarming speed. The car slammed into the Jockie. It hit the hood of the car, bounced over the windshield, tumbled across the top of the car and onto the ground, twitching before it died. Kaylee looked at the boy who stood there stunned. Then he looked at his rescuers and a smirk appeared on his lips.

"Oh shit." Kaylee groaned and locked the doors to the car as the boy made his way to the driver side passenger seat.

"Kaylee, what is wrong with you?" Morgan asked, rolling down her window. "Have you been bitten?" She asked him.

"No," the boy shook his head. Kaylee slunk down in her seat, head on the steering wheel.

"Alan, let him in." Morgan said.

Alan leaned over and unlocked the back door before opening it. "Welcome to our humble group. I'm Alan, the pretty lady in the cowboy hat is Morgan, and the one who frightens me is Kaylee."

"That Harpie frightens everyone," the boy chuckled. "I'm Zack, nice to meet you,"

"Shut the fuck up, Zack," Kaylee growled.

"Nice to see you too, Baby doll." Zack winked at her. The boy had on black converse and jeans that were torn at the knees, and a black shirt. His thin black hair hung just above his blue eyes that had a mischievous glint in them and he seemed to have a smirk permanatly glued to his face.

"If I knew it was you I would of let the Jocky ride your ass." Kaylee groaned, putting the car back into drive.

"I'm going to make a wild guess and say you two know each other." Alan said.

"So I finally meet Zach." Morgan said. "I'm saying it now: No sex until we are safe. I don't mean in a safe house or with protection, I mean SAFE. We are not wasting what valuable energy we have. Okay? Okay."

Morgan lowered her hat over her eyes. "Wake me if you need to."

Alan laughed and took a small sip from his water bottle. "So I was right."

"He isn't going to touch me with a ten foot pole," Kaylee said keeping her eyes on the road.

"I don't want to touch you, so no worries," Zack sat back in his seat, his arms crossed against his muscular chest.

"Good! I don't want you to touch me!" Kaylee glaring at him through the rearview mirror.

"That was implied with the ten foot pole statement." Zack said.

Kaylee's mouth twisted into a sneer as she kept driving, not bothering to reply.

Alan tapped his legs nervously, avoiding looking out the window at all the devastation. He couldn't tell if Morgan was asleep or just really good at sitting still and breathing slowly. Kaylee stuck to the back roads where there were less infected and road blockage.

* * *

><p>When Morgan felt the car stop, she instinctivly woke up. Raising her hat, she looked around. Kaylee had stopped at a gas station, somewhere out of town so they must have been driving a while.<p>

"Gas?" She asked.

"Yeah." Alan replied, not wanting to be the first to get out. "You think there's any left?"

"Only one way to find out." Morgan replied, grabbing her gun off the dash.

Kaylee popped the trunk. Grabbing her hunting rifle, sniper, and pistol, she looked around. "I don't see anything," She commented, closing the door.

"Don't jinx us." Zack said, checking the pistol he had with him. Kaylee ignored him, moving to Morgan's side.

"We need to find gas cans." Kaylee said looking around the abandoned gas station. "I'm guessing the pumps aren't the first option."

"Probably not." Morgan replied. "Alan, cover me. I'm checking around back.

"Me? Are you sure?" He asked, picking up the spare pistol she had given him.

"I trust Kaylee alone." She laughed. "Would you rather lead?"

"No I'm fine in back."

She moved around the side of the building. Three infected were there near the wall. The closest was hunched over, spewing out the contents of its stomach. The second was sitting and the third had its back to them. It was too easy.

Morgan fired off two rounds, striking the closest two with a deadly spray of bullets. Alan fired four times, hitting the one in the back on the fourth shot.

She picked up a half full gas can and walked back toward the car, Alan close behind her.

* * *

><p>"Stay with the car." Kaylee ordered Zack.<p>

"Why? No one is going to steal it." Zack said.

"Because I said so." Kaylee said, checking the doors, each locked. She looked into one of the windows.

"I don't think any one is there!" Zack called from the car.

"I was looking to see if the lights were on!" Kaylee called back in a sing song voice, then jumped as she heard two shoots fired. Then four more were fired. She looked over her shoulder at Zack who shrugged. Kaylee noticed the red glow from the exit sign at the back door. "Poppycock." she said.

"What?" Zack asked.

"Electricity." Kaylee said, examining the lock.

"So?" Zack said now at her side. "Just break the window,"

"We can't, electricity means the-" she didn't finish her sentence as Zack fired a bullet into the window shattering it, an alarm pierced through the air. "That means the alarm is on you son of a...sad face!" Kaylee stomped her foot. The scream of the horde sounded. "I hate you."

* * *

><p>Morgan nearly dropped the can at the sound. "Fuck fuck fuck!"<p>

"What is that?"

"The horde! Alan, get in the car!"

She didn't need to tell him twice. He dove into the seat and held it open for Zack to run in. Morgan ran to the side of the car, pouring the gas from the can into the car. "Move, people! Five seconds!"

Kaylee was already in the driver's seat, the passanger door open as she waited for Morgan. She pushed her sniper and hunting rifle into the back seat. "Do either of you have a good shot?"

"I can try." Zack said, testing the gun out.

"Okay," Kaylee said. "I can open the back window; keep them off of us if it comes to that."

With the can emptied, Morgan tossed it aside and put on the gas cap as fast as she could. The horde was coming up fast, too fast. A white object caught her eye.

She ran back toward the front of the store and kicked over the propane tank display. They tumbled across the road between the gas pumps and the building. Zack had begun firing.

Morgan jumped into the passenger seat and closed the door. "Kaylee, gun it! Zach, get down!" She climbed into the back seat as Kaylee rocketed forward and fired a single shot out the back window. It hit a propane tank, making the canister explode. All nearby cans blew up in response, all the way to the gas pumps. The result was a loud explosion and a fireball that wiped out the legion of infected that had swarmed after them.

Alan was pressed down deep into his seat, eyes wide.

"Crowd control." Morgan smiled.

"That was fucking awesome!" Zack laughed manically, moving to the backseat.

"That was pretty epic." Kaylee laughed, looking for her Zune in the cup holder.

"You do know that is eventually going to run out of batteries." Zack said. Kaylee slamed on the brakes, turned around, and slapped him.

"Don't say that!" She snapped and turned back around, pulling out a car charger for her music device. "Stupid boy. A world without music is a world I can't live in."

"Crazy bitch." Zack rubbed his face.

"Think before you shoot." Morgan told them all. "Every shot counts. Ammo isn't around every corner. Two birds with one stone, you know?"

"In that case, I should stick to my axe." Alan spoke.

"I need to find a better gun." Zack said, running a hand through his hair. "Where are we going any ways?"

"We are going to the West Coast."

"Why?" Zack asked.

"Do you want to be walking around in Florida heat?" Kaylee questioned. "At the beach we at least have a breeze, supplies, plenty of places to stay."

"Good point." Zack said.

"And if we are lucky, the Green Flu couldn't pass across two mountain ranges." Morgan added.

Alan looked back at the black burning wreckage of the gas station. "What if there were survivors in there?"

"Then they can thank Zack for killing them." Morgan replied.

"The thought of there being an alarm didn't even occur to me!" Zack defended himself.

"That's the problem: you never think!" Kaylee yelled.

"Calm down, everyone. None of us will be able to think if our tension is high. Let's try to find a safe house before night fall."

"Alright, keep your eyes peeled." Kaylee said as she focused on the road. "If you find a place, just let me know."

Morgan looked at the fire behind them through the rear view mirror. That was a close call. There was no way any of them would have been prepared to face a horde like that. She took a rag from her back pocket and wiped some soot from her face.

Kaylee checked the side view mirror, seeing her face for the first time in days. Her short blonde hair had gotten a little longer but was still a ways from reaching her shoulders. Gray eyes...they seemed a bit sad but, Hell she had right to be a little sad! She looked over at Morgan who was staring out the window, blonde hair whipping in the wind as they drove. For as long as Kaylee had known her, Morgan had been the type that people followed. But this...this was more than Kaylee ever expected.

The road ahead was empty. The overgrowth of trees and shrubbery left little open space on either side of the road. She turned on her music and did her best to ignore the gas meter.


	3. A Moment of Rest

The sun was starting to sink into the sky when the group decided to stop. Kaylee parked the car in the driveway of an average suburban house and Morgan got out first, followed by Zack.

"I'd say this place was one of the first evacs." Morgan said as she looked around the cul de sac. "No cars in the driveways...no broken windows."

"It's too quiet." Kaylee said, closing her door behind her.

"Don't say that!" Alan spoke up, pullling his bag out of the back. "Don't you watch horror movies? Someone says that and then thousands of zombie children pour out of the corn fields and kill everyone."

"What corn?" Zack asked, looking around.

"It's a figure of speech." Alan replied.

"What?"

"Be quiet, you two." Morgan said, walking over to them. "This place might look empty but we still need to sweep the house before we start getting comfortable."

"I've got a pipe bomb. I could throw it into the street and lure anything out of the houses." Kaylee offered.

"And if the houses are empty, we waste a valuable pipe bomb." Morgan replied. She held up her gun. "Nope, we have to get our hands dirty."

The other three survivors picked up their weapons. Kaylee held her rifle, Alan followed with his axe, and Zack picked up the rear with his and Alan's pistols.

Morgan led the way into the house, walking slow and shining her flash light into every corner. So far, it looked empty. A cough pierced the otherwise silent house. Morgan stopped short. "Smoker."

"What's that?" Alan whispered.

"It is a type of infected with this gross long tongue that it uses to-" Zack began to explain. He stopped short when Morgan screamed as a thick pink tube wrapped around her slender waist and began pulling her up into the open attic door. She squirmed and kicked but could not free herself. Any shot they fired would risk hitting her.

Kaylee began to fire up into the ceiling away from Morgan, hoping to hit the creature by chance. Zack held up his pistols and fired into the dark space above her but she continued to struggle against the tongue that was wrapping around her neck now, choking her. Finally one of Kaylee's shots hit home and Morgan fell a few feet, still hanging off the ground and choking.

"Move!" Alan yelled, shoving past Zack. He swung the axe over her head and into the wall, cutting the slimy pink tube in two. Morgan fell to her knees, clawing the rest of the horrid thing off her.

"It's still up there." Kaylee hissed, eyes focused on the dark square above them.

"Gimmie a boost." Morgan spoke, standing up.

"What?" Zack gasped.

She cocked her shot gun. "It has my hat. Give. Me. A. Boost."

Zack holstered his pistols and helped her up into the hole. The other two looked up with worried expressions as her boots disappeared into the dark attic. A shot was fired and then something heavy hit the floor. Her steps echoed across the old wood and then she jumped back down, hat in hand. "Leet's keep going."

The kitchen was next, and after opening all cabinets and closests, it was found empty. The rest of the house was much of the same. One floor and two empty bedrooms, followed by two empty bathrooms. "We stay here for the night. No turning on lights in rooms with windows. No music without head phones. No talking above a whisper." Morgan said as she laid out the rules.

They pulled the blankets and pillows from the bedrooms and pulled them all together in the living room. Kaylee laid down on the couch with a blanket over her, listening to her Zune with her headphones on. She was tired, but the adreniline made sleep impossible right now.

Alan sat on the floor beside the other couch, leaning his head against the arm. He was too afraid to sleep yet.

Morgan walked in with Zack behind her, each with an armful of clothing. "We raided the dressers and found some guy clothes." Morgan said. "You want a better hoodie, Alan?"

He looked up, "Sure. This one is pretty ripe."

She tossed him the red hoodie. "I found you some pants too but they're pretty huge and I couldn't find a belt."

"That's alright." He replied, pulling off his mangled hoodie to change. "I'll just stay in my shorts for now."

"Nice tats." Zack commented, seeing the extensive colorful tattoos on Alan's chest and side.

"Thanks." Alan smiled, quickly pulling on the clean jacket.

Morgan walked into the kitchen and turned on the gas stove. It didn't start but she could tell gas was still flowing, probably from an outside propane tank. She took out her lighter and lit the stove herself before finding a few pots and pans. Whoever lived here before left plenty behind, and it didn't take long to find two cans of pork and beans, four cans of spam, and some instant mashed potato mix. She didn't dare open the fride, but there was warm bottled water in the pantry.

When good smells drifted into the living room, Alan came in to see what was going on. By this time, Morgan was already dishing up four plates. It was as close to a home cooked meal as she could get for them, but it was better than candy.

"Wow, this is incredible." Alan said.

"You should see what I can manage with better groceries." She laughed quietly, handing him a plate.

The four of them gathered around a few lit candles in the living room and ate until no food was left. When the sun came up again, they would have more energy for the long day ahead. They were bound to hit an area filled with infected soon, but Morgan didn't say this for fear of frightening them.

Outside a few infected wandered the empty street, holding their heads. Most didn't move, only stood around dumbly or sat against walls. The green flu was killing them slowly but how slowly was a different question.


	4. Halfway to Georgia

It didn't take long for the four to reach the coast. "Oh, so many condos to choose from." Kaylee said as they continued down the road. A few infected wondered the streets, other than that, none seemed to inhabit this area.

"Are we going to drive on the beach?" Zack asked lazily from the backseat.

"No." Kaylee said. "I don't want to pollute the beach."

"Like any one cares." Zack scoffed.

"I do!" Kaylee said sharply. "Besides, we are almost out of gas." She turned her eyes to Morgan. "Well, what do we do, Comrade?"

"Walking along the beach seems like a good idea." Morgan replied. "It is open, so we would see anything coming. Plus all the condos would be good safety at night, as long as they aren't swarmed with infected. So far we have been lucky, but then again, people who live on the coast have to be pros at evacuation."

"Walking the beach all the way to Georgia?" Alan asked.

"Unless the plan changes, yes. It takes about an hour to cover four miles if we keep a steady and comfortable pace." Morgan replied.

"Sounds good to me. Let's grab enough shit to keep us going." Alan sighed, pulling his pack from the back seat.

Zack found an automatic shot gun, grabbing that as well as a baseball bat.

Kaylee pulled in and parked. Popping the trunk, she strapped both of her guns onto her back,putting her back pack on over them. She kept her pistol on her belt for quick access. Remembering her Zune, she threw it in her back along with the aux cord and car charger. "Do we have everything?" Kaylee asked, placing a hand on the side of the car.

Morgan put on her cowboy hat after pulling on her own bag. "If we forgot it, we don't need it. Let's head out."

They walked along the coast where the sand was packed like hard concrete. The waves slapped against the shore, unaware of the mess the world they touched had become. Morgan walked ahead of the others, within earshot but out of the conversation.

Kaylee stumbled across the sand then stopped, pausing to unlace her black combat boots. She took them off, then shoved them into her bag.

"Going to take anything else off, Baby doll?" Zack winked at her.

"Shut the front door." Kaylee said glaring at him.

"What?" Alan laughed.

"For some reason Baby doll refuses to curse." Zack said.

"Not true, I swore a lot when we found you." Kaylee said.

"It's true, she did." Alan nodded.

"It's because she secretly loves me." Zack whispered to him.

"I heard that, and no I don't." Kaylee said. "I tolerate you, like one tolerates herpies."

"Or butt sex." Alan added.

"Alan!" Morgan gasped, turning around.

"What?"

"Boundaries!"

"And here I thought you were ignoring us this whole time." Alan replied.

"I'm alert to everything around me." She sighed, picking up her pace again.

"Boundries?" Zack said almost in hysterics. "We just spent the last 4 hours in a car together! There are no more boundries! I know more about you people then I ever wanted!"

"Oh we know!" Kaylee said. "Like you after eating a burrito, you become toxic!"

"In his defense, the burrito may have been toxic." Alan replied. "I told you not to eat it."

"At least someone is." Zack grumbled.

"Yup, the whole world is against you." Kaylee rolled her eyes, moving up next to Morgan.

"That may very well be true." Morgan spoke up, her eyes on the storm clouds moving in. "We should probably check one of these condos for a safe house."

"I'm not afraid of getting wet." Alan laughed.

"It is the lightning I worry about." Morgan replied, already heading toward the building.

"All of us carrying big metalic weapons." Kaylee said taking her sniper off her back.

"I get the point." Alan replied, picking up the rear.

Morgan smashed a bottom floor window with the butt end of her shotgun, shattering it. They all stepped inside and found several infected shuffling around the halls. A few shots and blood sprays later, the hall was cleared.

They all agreed the top floor would be the best option where there was little threat from a road attack. The power was out, so the group headed for the stairs. The thunder rolled.

Zack was the first up the stairs, taking them two at a time. Hectic laughter echoed off the walls as the group trudged up the stairs after him.

"Fuck!" Zack said as the laughter grew louder. "Help!" Zack screamed as he stumbled down the stairs, jockey clinging to his back.

"Lets go." Kaylee said walking past him.

Morgan grabbed the freakish thing by the shoulders and pulled it back off his neck. Alan pressed his pistol against its squirming head and fired. It went limp, and the two of them helped Zack up.

"Kaylee." Morgan said darkly, following her up the stairs. "Nobody gets left behind."

Alan walked up the stairs with Zack, who was limping from the fall. "Don't worry, I can fix you up. I studied medicine for a while in college."

"Thanks." Zack muttered weakly. "Lets get upstairs first."

They settled on a fourth floor room since Zack's ankle was starting to swell and a cut was freshly bleeding on his forehead. Once inside, Morgan locked the door. Alan helped Zack to the bed and they pulled off his shoes before rolling up his pant leg.

"I wish we had ice." Alan sighed, "But rest should help. If you can move it, then there is nothing seriously wrong."

"Yeah, I can." Zack said. "Thanks for the help."

Kaylee entered the room, returning from her sweep. "Everything is clear. Two bed, one bath. Not like we can use it, but whatever."

"Thanks for the help back there, Baby doll," Zack snapped at her.

"I didn't have a car to hit it with." Kaylee shrugged.

"Want some pills for the pain?" Alan asked, opening up his first aid pack.

"Yeah." Zack said, taking four.

"Who is going to cook tonight?" Kaylee asked. "Are we going to set up a watch tonight? If so I'll take first watch."

"First watch is all yours." Morgan replied, walking over to the kitchen. "I think I can handle food tonight."

Alan closed up the pack after Zack took the pills and looked over at Morgan. She seemed very stressed, though he didn't blame her. The whole group relied on her more than they realized and he was finally seeing it. He walked over to her, getting in close so he could whisper without the others hearing.

"Hey, I just wanted to thank you...for everything."

"Oh." She smiled, pulling her hair up into a pony tail. "It's nothing. You're welcome."

He reached over and touched her shoulders. When she didn't pull away, he began to rub them, feeling the tension in her body. "You shouldn't push yourself so hard. We can pick up some of the slack you know."

"Kaylee is trying to get Zack killed, Zack keeps nearly getting us killed, and when you aren't within grabbing distance, you're nearly getting killed." Morgan sighed, closing her eyes and letting him rub her sore shoulders. "I want to relax but...I feel if I let my guard down for a minute, I will let you all down."

"I'll take the first watch with Baby doll." Zack pipped up from the couch.

"Stop calling me that." Kaylee said from the kitchen. "Electric stove." She said and opened the sliding glass door to the back porch. "But there is a gas grill out here." She walked back in. "I'm fine with Zack taking the first watch with me."

This got Morgan's attention. She pulled away from Alan. "Okay. After we get some food, me and Alan can rest up for a while and take the second watch."

She walked outside and got the grill going, Alan quickly joining her. "About what you were saying...about letting your guard down."

"Yeah?"

"I think we all have our guard up, and that is what makes us so...stupid. We need to work together so we are all holding our own ends evenly."

"How do you think we can do that?" She asked, putting some canned meat on the grill.

"We just need to open up I think...get to know each other. Well, you know Kaylee from before and she knows Zack. So, I guess I'm just the odd man out." Alan replied, leaning against the railing.

"I feel close to you." Morgan admitted. "I feel better knowing you're watching out for me."

He smiled, and a few minutes later they brought in the small dinner.

After they ate, the storm hit. The rain poured down in sheets, and they could no longer see the ocean that was only a few yards away. Kaylee kept checking and rechecking her gun over and over.

"Stop that!" Zack snapped after the ninth time. "You are making me nervous."

Kaylee put down her gun and put her thumb nail in her mouth.

The rain pounding against the boarded windows made sleep hard if not impossible. Morgan tossed and turned, trying to force herself to sleep...which went about as well as it sounded. Her bedroom door opened quietly and she sat up, tank top strap slipping off one shoulder. She recognized Alan's figure in the dim light. "Alan?" She whispered.

"I thought you might be up." He sighed.

"What's wrong?"

"I can't sleep and I was hoping you'd be up."

"Oh?" She asked, fixing her shirt.

"This might sound lame but...Can I sleep in here? To be perfectly honest, I am freaking out in the other room. I keep thinking a smoker is going to burst through the wall."

She laughed quietly, "That's alright. You can sleep in here." She scooted over in bed and pulled aside the blanket for him.

"Oh! I was just going to lay on the floor."

"Don't be silly. We can cuddle."

"Cuddle?" He rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"It will help our nerves. If I'm coming off bad just say so."

"Not at all." He sat down on the empty space she made for him. "I like to cuddle."

"I was hoping you would." Morgan smiled, laying her head on his shoulder when he laid down. With her arm over his chest, he had to admit he did feel better.

Lightning flashed across the dark sky, momentarily illuminating their sleeping figures.


	5. Joining Forces

Over the period of two days, the survivors crossed countless miles of flat beach. The condominiums offered decent protection during the night hours when walking was more dangerous. But they were not progressing as fast as Morgan liked. She moved the group back to the road in search of a vehicle that still ran...and had gas.

Finding the school bus was like finding a bag of gold.

Alan got behind the wheel this time and followed the road beside the ocean. They were making progress now, flying down the road at the fastest and safest pace they could manage. Morgan had hoped that the bigger bus meant they could help more survivors they found...but the infected were the only other souls they encountered.

They stopped for gas a few miles from the Georgia border in a small town you could blink and miss. Zack stayed beside the bus, still in trouble from the first gas station incident. Morgan and Kaylee walked the perimeter of the store while Alan stayed by the road to relieve his bladder.

"There's one." Kaylee smiled, pointing at the fuel truck parked behind the store. The driver was long gone, front end smashed in.

"Jackpot." Morgan agreed, "I'll look for some canisters while you find a hose so we can siphon what we can."

The girls split up to comb the station for supplies.

Meanwhile, back at the bus, things were too quiet. Zack kicked at a stick by his feet and sighed, wishing something exciting would happen. The past few days they'd been using infected for target practice but unless you made a lot of noise, they were just sitting ducks.

As Alan zipped up his fly, he caught the sound of thunder. He walked around to the other side of the bus where Zack was standing. "Did you hear that?"

Zack looked up. "Yeah, what is that?" He took a few steps forward, cocking his shot gun. The roar was deep and the ground shook as the 'thunder' got closer. The tank smashed through a car, knocking it out of the way.

"Holy fuck!" Zack yelled, already shooting.

Alan looked at it in horror. Maybe 8 feet tall, with so much muscle you couldn't even see its neck. He pulled out his pistol and began firing. As it rapidly approached, Alan could see blood spraying off it with each shot fired.

"Fuck, I have to reload. Distract it!" Zack said, fumbling in his pockets for some bullets.

Alan felt around in his pocket and pulled out a small sealed jar labled "Boomer Bile" that he picked up off a weird looking infected in a haz mat suit a few days earlier. He hurled it at the wall of muscle. The jar shattered and the tank roared, stalling as the green thick fluid coated its body. From the dark shadows, infected poured out and ran at the Tank. They clawed at it, seemingly attracted by the substance. The smell was awful.

"Oh gosh, it is like a septic tank!" Alan groaned, holding his nose to keep from throwing up.

Zack pulled his black shirt over his mouth and nose. The tank roared as it fell to it's knees, the other zombies still biting and clawing at there muscled counterpart. Zack fired a few rounds into the crowd. Limbs popped off a few zombies as they stumbled then died. The others ran toward Zack, but he killed them before they reached him. Zack looked at Alan as he moved his shirt away from his face. "That was fucking awesome!"

Alan began to laugh as he stepped back away from the mess. "I can't believe that actually worked!"

Morgan walked up to the bus holding two canisters of gasoline, Kaylee behind her with two more. "What is going on?" Then she saw the mound of rock hard rotting flesh. "You two took down a tank? What is that smell?"

"Alan threw a bile bomb on the tank!" Zack said, his breathing quick. "It was so epic! You have no idea! Oh my god!"

"That's...incredible." Morgan smiled. "Let's gas up and get out before any more show up."

"Good idea." Alan nodded, taking the cans from her.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile in Griffin county, Georgia, four other survivors had reached a dead end on Interstate #16. The leader of this group was a tall black man with broad shoulders. He was a bit heavy on top, but had a stance that couldn't be knocked down. Beside him was a shorter white man, about thirty, dressed in a white suit. He looked like the gambling type and had a face that said "heart breaker". There was a woman with them, also African with a tight red shirt and kind brown eyes. The last member got out from behind the front seat of the stock car they'd been riding in. He was the epitome of sweet country boy. His hair was short and brown. He had tan, white skin dirty from fighting.<p>

Ahead of them, the interstate was full of thousands of abandoned cars and trucks, all blocking the road ahead.

"Sorry, folks." The country boy said as he walked over to them. "This car is capable of miracles, but it can't drive over twenty miles of parked cars."

"Damn you, Jimmy Gibbs Jr.!" The man in the suit sighed.

"That's not cool, Nick." The boy frowned.

The leader picked up his gun, "Well it looks like we'll be hoofin' it."

"This is crazy." The girl said. "I don't know if I feel safe wandering around with so many places for something to jump out at us."

"Rochelle, it ain't like we got any other option." The country boy said, "We can't just sit around here and wait for a miracle to drop in our laps!"

Right after he finished talking, he had to raise his arm and shield his eyes. The other three turned around as a set of headlights approached them. "Ellis, Sweetie...I think you spoke too soon." Rochelle laughed.

Alan stopped the bus when he saw four people standing in the road in front of the massive traffic jam. The folding doors slid open and Morgan walked out, her boots kicking up dust as she hit the pavement. She swung her shotgun over her shoulder and walked toward the new survivors, headlights shining behind her.

Ellis starred at her, lips parted slightly as the silloette strode toward them. She had daisy dukes, cowboy boots, and a hat to match. When his eyes adjusted, her face came into view and he would later swear that she was an angel sent down from Heaven to bring him to his personal salvation.

"Hello there." She smiled, holding out a bandaged hand to Coach. "Name's Morgan. I'm the leader of this little group."

"I must say I'm mighty surprised to come across other survivors. Call me Coach. The guy in the suit is Nick. She's Rochelle and that one is Ellis."

As her team piled out of the bus, she introduced them as well. "He's Alan, our medic. The two fighting are Kaylee and Zack, our sniper and muscle."

"Hey," Kaylee gave a short wave as Zack nodded then continued their arguement.

"We were just deciding that walking would be our only option." Coach explained.

"So you heard about the evac center in the Whispering Oaks carnival?" Morgan asked. "Good, that saves time."

"I'm feeling safer already." Rochelle smiled, walking up to Morgan. "You look like you've been through plenty and come out on top."

"Nothing too bad but I don't want to jinx us. We have supplies if you'd be willing to team up for a while." Morgan offered.

"Damn right we would!" Ellis declared. "Right, Coach?"

"I haven't seen enthusiasm in Ellis like that since he saw Jimmy Gibbs Jr.'s stockcar in the mall." Nick spoke up smugly.

"Nick, we need the help we can get and they have guns!" Ellis replied, defending himself.

"Uh huh, sure. That's why." Nick smirked, "We going or what?"

"If ya'll are ready, we can head out." Coach said. "Plenty of nastiness up ahead."

Alan pulled on his med pack, "Let's get to it!"

"Guys?" Morgan asked, looking at the two behind her.

"I am going to fire two warning shots into your skull!" Kaylee practically screamed at Zack who had his arms crossed over his chest and a smirk on his face.

"Yup, we can go now. She hit her breaking point." Zack said.

Kaylee looked at Morgan and pointed to Zack. "He is so! Ugh! Puppy tails!"

"I know, dear." Morgan sighed. "Grab your guns, make some friends, and kill some infected. You pick the order."

Ellis laughed. "Coach wasn't very friendly when it came to introductions." He said, jogging over to Morgan's side as they walked through the cars. "As you know, I'm Ellis. Some people call me El but I think that sounds like a girl's name. But...you could call me El if you want to."

Morgan smiled at him. He was very cute, an innocent face that was too kind for the world around him. Something told her he was a capable killer though, when he needed to be. "That is sweet of you, Ellis. Everyone calls me Morgan but...you can call me Em...if you want to."

He blushed and looked away when he heard gun shots. The infected had begun to swarm.

Kaylee fired of her hunting rifle. With every infected she kille,d she felt a little better. She found a gas can and put it on her back. "I swear to God, Zack, if you shoot me, I'm going to haunt you." Kaylee glared at Zack who had his pistol pointed at her.

"Should we seperate them?" Nick asked looking between the two.

"Kaylee, stay by Nick. Zack, cover Rochelle." Morgan spoke, "Watch that bus everyone. I hear a Boomer."

Kaylee took aim and shot, the spray of blood erupted from the Boomer's body as it exploded. "Got it." Kaylee said, then kept walking.

"Nice shot." Nick said from beside.

"You have quite the eye there, Girly." Coach said.

"Thank you." Kaylee said, reloading her gun.

Alan was behind Morgan and Ellis, not sure if he liked the way Ellis' eyes drifted on her when there weren't infected nearby. Then again...he'd been guilty of the same thing a few times. He gripped his axe a little tighter.

"That is a nice shot gun you got there." Ellis commented.

"Thanks." Morgan smiled, taking aim at a smaller group ahead. "Her name is Crowd Control."

"Why is that?"

She squeezed the trigger and the spray of bullets toppled the small cluster. "That's why." She walked on ahead.

Ellis stood dumb struck, his stomach doing back flips.

"Keep moving." Alan groaned, giving him a gentle push with the handle of his axe. Ellis stumbled but quickly caught up to Morgan.

"We need to go through this hotel!" Coach yelled looking at the blocked highway.

"Right behind you!" Morgan called.

The group all filed in to the hotel parking lot. "Be careful of that car over there with the tail lights blinking. It's got an alarm!" Ellis warned.

"Zack stay away from it!" Kaylee called over to him.

"Just watch yourself!" Zack said back to her.

Kaylee rolled her eyes.

"Boyfriend problems?" Nick asked.

"He isn't my boyfriend," Kaylee replied. "I tried to hit him with a car actually. And I wanted a Jockey to take him, but nooo."

"So, what, you two have a love-hate relationship?"

"No, it's more of a hate-hate relationship." Kaylee replied with a small nod.

Morgan jogged up the stairs to the second floor, Ellis and Alan behind her. "Up here, everyone! I see a way around the gate!"

The group made their way through the hotel and finally to the bottom floor, picking off the few zombies that were on the ground floor.

"I think we need to go over here." Rochelle said, pointing to the side of the hotel.

That is where the crying started. Kaylee froze in place.

"Flash lights off." Coach said.

"Hold on," Nick said looking at Kaylee. "What's wrong, Sweetheart?"

"Go on without me." Kaylee said, shaking her head and backing up.

"She has a fear of Witches." Morgan whispered to Nick. She turned off her light and walked ahead a few paces. There on top of the slope, the pale skinny form of a girl sat with her long nails against her face. The infected girl wept a horrible siren-like cry.

She backed up and looked over at Ellis, "El, how good a shot are you with that rifle?"

He smiled, cheeks a little red. "Shoot, I'm the best shot I know. Well except for my buddy Keith's brother, Paul. This one time we were out in the-"

"Sshh." Morgan whispered, putting a finger to his lips. "Take aim at her head. We want a clean kill so nobody gets hurt. Can you do that?"

He nodded slowly, hands tight on his rifle.

Morgan backed away and aimed at the Witch. "If he doesn't kill her on the first shot, everyone needs to fire what they have at her."

"I like your style." Rochelle whispered.

"Kill all sons of bitches." Ellis smiled, catching her in his scope.

The startled cry of the Witch made Kaylee jump, a small scream escaping her lips as she started to back away. Her whole body trembled. Everyone opened fire on the Witch as she started after Ellis. The Witch didn't get near him as he fired the last shot into her body.

"I don't know how I missed..."

"It's alright, Ellis." Rochelle said, patting him briefly on the shoulder.

"Kaylee, are you okay?" Morgan asked, walking over to her friend.

Her body shook, but she nodded her head. "Y-yeah, I'm good."

"There is a gorge down here that we can go down, if she's okay." Coach said, clicking his light back on.

"Thank you, Coach." Kaylee said, forcing herself to smile.

They slid down the hill a few at a time and fought their way up the other side to a large parking lot.

"Safe room up ahead." Coach barked, pointing to a long trailer.

"Sure we can all fit?" Nick asked as they ran.

"It's plenty long." Coach replied, swinging open the heavy door. "Move in everyone, come on!"

Once everyone was inside, they closed and bolted the door. There was ammo, sleeping bags, and several crates of rations to go through. The sun was almost completely gone from the sky. Morgan sat against the wall between Ellis and Kaylee. "Well...we can rest up, maybe get to know each other? I'll start to break the ice. I was washing my truck when I the first wave hit..."


	6. Rest Before the Run

After about an hour of swapping survival stories, most of the group had fallen asleep. Zack was asleep on his stomach with Kaylee using his back as a pillow. Alan was curled up with his cheek on his med pack, Rochelle behind him with her back to his. Coach slept propped up in the corner with his arms over his shot gun and Nick was sprawled out on the floor using his jacket as a blanket.

Morgan watched them rest, and wondered how long it had been since the new survivors had had good sleep.

"You still awake?" Ellis whispered.

She turned her head and lifted up her hat."Yeah, why are you?"

"I couldn't sleep. Too much excitement today I guess."

She smiled at him, shadows playing on her face in the dim light. "Yeah. You don't know how happy I am to find you guys...to know we aren't alone."

Ellis smiled along with her, his hands fidgeting with the hat in his hands. "You aren't like anyone I've ever met before."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, as far as I can see, you don't seem to think about yourself. And you ain't afraid of anything, like that Witch." He explained.

"I assure you, I have fears." She laughed quietly. "I think about myself, my own survival, but I think more about them."

"Why?"

"Because every person alive is a better chance at more people surviving. One more person holding a gun is one less infected. My team has lots of rules..." She laughed. "But there is one I hold to more than any others."

"What rule is that?" Ellis whispered, scooting in closer to her.

She looked over at him, right into his soft green eyes, and spoke quietly."Nobody gets left behind."

* * *

><p>Morning sun streamed through the bars on the safe room door. Coach woke up first and scanned through the room. Everyone accounted for. He stood up and stretched his tired legs.<p>

Roochelle woke up next and sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She nudged the sleeping Alan next to her. "Wake up, Alan sweetie." She giggled. He murmed something and rolled onto his back, opening his brown eyes.

Zack woke up, face smashed into the smelly carpet. He felt weight on his back and rolled over. Kaylee's head smacked against the floor and she woke with a start. "What the french toast?"

Zack laughed, "Awe, you were sleeping on my back."

"I was trying to crush your lungs." She moaned, rubbing her head as she sat up.

Alan sat up as well and looked over by the door where Morgan and Ellis were sleeping. It gave him a bad taste in his mouth. Ellis was asleep on his back with his hat over his face, arm around Morgan's shoulders as she slept with her body nuzzled up against his chest.

Coach walked over and gave Nick a nudge with his shoe. "Up and at 'em, Boy."

"Go to Hell." Nicked mumbled, pulling his jacket over his head.

* * *

><p>It was about mid day. Everyone had been awake for some time, going through the boxes of rations. Coach was happy to find a few bars of his favorite chocolate, these he shared with any who wanted some.<p>

"I'm sore in places I didn't even know I had." Nick complained, taking a deck of cards out of his pocket.

"Nick, what'd I say about gambling?" Coach warned.

"Relax, I was just going to see if anyone wanted to play some BS."

"I'm game." Kaylee smiled. She was sitting behind Morgan, rebraiding the girl's blonde hair.

"Anyone else? Need at least three." Nick asked.

"Sure, I'll play." Rochelle smiled. "Alan?"

"Deal me in."

"I'll play too." Ellis smiled.

When Kaylee tied a ribbon to the end of Morgan's braid to secure it, she moved over to the circle forming around Nick.

Morgan stood up and walked over to Coach and Zack. "So boys, what is the plan?"

"We rest up today," Coach began. "The carnival entrance is just at the end of this big parking lot. CEDA is supposed to be inside but..."

"But you're starting to doubt it?" Zack smirked.

"Exactly." Coach sighed.

"So what do we do if we get there and there is no CEDA?" Morgan asked.

"Keep on fightin'." Coach nodded. "Hope for a miracle."

"Bull dookie!" Kaylee laughed, calling Nick's bluff.

"It's bull shit, Sweetheart." He corrected, picking up the pile.

"I'm still winning." She shrugged.

* * *

><p>Night was falling again over the trailer as the survivors prepared for the run ahead of them. It was impossible to know what kind of danger they would be facing inside the grounds of the Whispering Oaks carnival. Morgan ran a rag over her shotgun, wiping away all the dried blood and grit she could.<p>

"Can I ask how ya got all that blood on the butt of your gun?" Ellis asked, sitting down next to her.

"Well I only have eight shots at a time, so when things get bad, I turn it around and just kinda beat everything to death." She replied.

Ellis laughed, "That's funny. That is why I carry a bat with me too. I just keep on hitting until there is a chunk left big enough to hit."

Morgan laughed out loud, "Ellis, you are something else."

Kaylee leaned against the exit door waiting for everyone else, her hunting rifle in hand.

"Anxious, Baby doll?" Zack said, stepping up to her.

"Don't call me that." Kaylee grumbled.

"You don't care when Nick calls you Sweetheart." Zack pointed out.

"He's different." Kaylee shrugged. "Are we ready to head out?" She asked everyone else.

"Hold on one minute." Coach said, stuffing a bottle of pills into his pocket.

"What's different?" Zack asked.

"He isn't you." Kaylee said, giving him a hard look.

"What ever you say, Baby doll." Zack said, his eyes narrowing.

Ellis lifted the metal bar off the door. "Now or never, folks."


	7. Nobody Gets Left Behind

The heavy door swung open. The feet of the eight survivors pounded across the concrete as they charged toward the carnival entrance. There were faint lights around the park and an eerie tune playing over the speakers. Every step closer was a step closer to doom.

Ellis ran ahead, beating the heads of infected against the walls of the ticket booth. Their skulls cracked as brain matter splattered behind, blood spraying out like a macabre fountain. Coach sliced away with his axe as they cut their way through the shambling crowd of walking corpses. By the time they made it through the gates, not one person still had a clean shirt. The group changed to their guns and filled the air with the smoke from their barrels.

"All these signs are making me hungry." Coach laughed as he fired off two rounds into the swarming crowd.

"How can you think of food at a time like this?" Rochelle replied, her back to his as she reloaded and kept firing.

"You think we can stop and make cotton candy?" Ellis asked, "Come on, Please?"

"We don't have time for that!" Nick yelled, blowing the head off an approaching infected.

"Incoming!" Morgan yelled as a fresh horde came around the corner.

"I got this!" Alan replied, tossing another jar of Boomer Bile. It shattered several feet away and the horde screeched and gathered around the broken jar.

The group of eight opened fire and the enemy was quickly overtaken.

Kaylee wiped her forehead with her sleeve. "Very nice."

Morgan reloaded her gun. "Let's keep moving. We have a lot of ground to cover."

"Right behind you." Rochelle spoke, pulling out her axe and following the cowgirl.

"Holy shit, guys! Kiddie Land!" Ellis squealed, running ahead.

They followed after him into the park. Everywhere were signs of a comical peanut. He was obviously some kind of mascot.

"I don't like that little peanut guy." Nicked growled, considering smashing the sign with his crow bar.

"Man, how can you not like Lil' Peanut? I love this little guy!" Ellis smiled.

"Come on, you two." Rochelle spoke up.

They kept moving but had to stop when they reached a large metal gate. Nick grabbed the bars and shook it, but it didn't budge an inch.

"This way." Morgan said, pointing toward a set of stairs. "If we go up and around, we can get around this locked fence."

So they pushed on. Once up the stairs, they found themselves atop a large set of slides. In better days, children would have happily slid down on burlap sacks. But now, there were no happy parents waiting at the bottom with cameras and large stuffed toys. Infected shuffled around on the ground below, a few sitting on the stairs down.

"Awesome!" Kaylee grinned, rushing over to the closest slide. She sat down with her gun in her lap. "Let's go!"

"Aw yeah!" Ellis laughed, taking the slide next to her.

"You've got to be kidding me." Nick moaned, putting his palm against his tired face.

"Might as well have a little fun." Rochelle shrugged, joining the others.

They all slid down, many holding their guns above their heads. Once at the bottom, they opened fire. No infected were spared in the barrage of bullets. They stopped when the area was clear to catch their breath. Coach sat down on a bench and groaned, "I'm getting tired of this shit."

"I think we all are." Nick agreed. He looked around the perimeter, uneasy.

Ellis reached up and unhooked a stuffed alligator from the ring toss booth they were resting by. It was a little dirty, but still entirely attached. He walked over and handed it to Morgan. "I didn't exactly win it but I never had a chance before to win something for a girl."

She took it and smiled, "It's really sweet but I'm not sure if I can take it with me..."

"I understand..."

She bit her lip and looked at it."The gesture is more important anyway."

"You mean it?" He asked, looking up at her.

"Yes, I do." She gave the gator a kiss on the nose and then set him on the counter of the ring toss. After a second thought, she pulled out one of her mini pocket knives and put it under the little guy's front foot.

"What's that for?" He asked.

"So he can defend himself." She laughed.

Coach stood back up, "All right, I got my breath. Let's get going."

Soon, they came upon a gated merry go round. Alan and Nick walked around the edge of the fence to check for a way around, but came back empty handed.

"What do we do?" Rochelle asked.

"Over there." Kaylee pointed. "If we turn on the ride then the gate will open."

"If we turn on the ride, it will make noise." Zack said, walking up to her. "Noise, you know? The thing I'm not allowed to make?"

"We don't have another option." Coach said firmly. "We turn on the ride and then run for the other end."

"Hopefully there is an off switch on the other side." Alan said, pulling out his axe.

The run through was one full of panic. The carnival music was haunting and the lights too bright as they navigated the small fenced in corridor. Blood covered faces of infected slammed against the chain links as the agitated monsters swiped at them. A smoker's tongue shot between the links and wrapped around Rochelle's throat, choking her against the wall that protected her. Painted horses danced around them as the merry go round turned, their black eyes digging into the frightened souls of the heros. Kaylee shot the Smoker through a hole in the fence and they pulled Rochelle along while she gasped for air.

Once on the other side, Kaylee threw the last pipe bomb she had and got the rest of the infected away from them. They swarmed the beeping device and were wiped away when it exloded.

Rochelle collasped against a picnic table, rubbing her neck. "This shit is crazy."

"Up ahead!" Coach yelled, "There's a safe house in the Tunnel of Love!"

"Tunnel of Love!" Ellis laughed.

Their path to safety was cut short when a vending machine flew a few feet in front of them and smashed across the pavement. "Shit!" Nick screamed, pushing Kaylee and Rochelle back behind him.

The tank appeared seconds later, beating the ground with its arms as it got ready to attack. Several guard rails were twisted around its hulking frame like makeshift armor.

"No no no..." Alan whimpered, backing up.

"Get inside!" Morgan yelled. "GO!"

They began to run again, the door to safety a moment away. They would never make it in time.

Morgan saw this...saw a horrible fate awaiting all of them as it charged toward the group. She pulled a molotov from her belt and quickly lit it with her lighter. "Hey you filthy son of a bitch! Over here!"

The tank turned in its charge and barreled toward her. She waved the fire back and forth in the air, holding its attention while the others escaped.

Ellis turned around before he got in the door. His pupils narrowed. "Noooo!" He screamed at the top of his lungs.

The tank grabbed her by the waist and she dropped the flame. It shattered against the ground but did not ignite. The beast roared as she screamed, kicking her legs. It threw her against the wall of the refreshment stand. She slumped against the ground in a broken heap as the tank quickly lost interest.

"Ellis, she's gone! Get in here!" Coach barked, grabbing him by the arm.

"Let go ah me!" Ellis raged, jerking free of Coach's grasp. He picked up Alan's axe as he ran, rocketing toward the monster. It turned around and got down on its boulder-like hands, ready to destroy. "You son of a bitch!" Ellis yelled, tears streaming from his eyes as he launched forward and burried the axe deep in the Tank's skull.

"Ellis!" Nick yelled, running out of the safe room. "Get in here, damnit!"

Ellis ignored them. He stumbled over to the body of the bravest girl he'd ever met. Falling to his knees, he pulled her into his arms. "Come on..." He sniffed, "You gotta get up. Nobody gets left behind, remember?"

"Get in here!" Nick ordered.

Ellis stood up, looking back at them with her bloody body in his arms. "I ain't leaving her!"

"Just get her in here!" Nicked screamed, face red from anger.

They slammed the door shut behind him and laid her down on the floor. Kaylee had her hands over her mouth, tears rolling off her soft cheeks. She didn't say a word when Zack put an arm around her in comfort.

Alan moved in, tearing open his medical pack and pulling out a portible de-fib machine. He ripped open her tank top with his hands and quickly hooked the machine to her chest.

The group watched in fear. The only one who still had hope was Ellis. "Come on, Em."

Her body jumped with the jolt and she coughed, eyes flashing open. Her chest heaved with breath as she came back to reality. There was a sigh of relief from the whole room. "Let's get you fixed up." Alan smiled, taking out antiseptic and guaze.

"Give her some air." Nick spoke, gesturing everyone to back up.

"El." Morgan mumbled, holing up her hand to Ellis.

He moved down by her side and took her hand while Alan applied medicine to her open wounds. "Yeah?" He asked.

"Thank you."

His face softened, wet tears mixing in with the dry blood on his face. "I was just following the rules is all."

"Did everyone get in okay?" She choked.

"We're all okay. But don't you dare do that again."

"Better to lose one than all of us." She whispered.

"No. Don't you say that." Ellis warned, holding her hand a little tighter. "Nobody wants to live if someone has to die. No sacrifices."

"Ellis-"

"Promise me."

"I promise." Morgan spoke, closing her eyes as the pain in her side worsened. "No sacrifices."


	8. In Stitches

"Really, I am fine." Morgan demanded, pulling herself along the wall. "Let's go."

"I don't think so." Nick sighed, leading her back down to the floor. "You already broke your stitches once."

"I don't want to slow down the whole group."

"Honey, you're fine." Rochelle assured, shuffling Nick's cards. "We want you to be okay."

"She probably just has cabin fever." Kaylee told them.

"That's right, I forgot you all knew each other before this." Coach spoke up. "Why don't cha tell us about that?"

"About us?" Morgan asked, distracted from her escape plan.

"Yeah. Start with yourself to keep your mind off things." He smiled, unwrapping a bar of chocolate he'd been saving.

"Me and Kaylee went to high school together back in Florida. We were theatre geeks." Morgan chuckled. "She was a technician and I was under the lime light. I made my first audition with the hopes of conquering my stage fright, but I found so much more than that. A lot of the kids involved in our theatre didn't come from good home lives. I wasn't one of them. My parents loved me very much, and supported my love of theatre even though they knew it was the future of a starving artist."

Everyone seemed to scoot in closer while she talked.

"After graduation, I guess I just forgot..." She continued. "I got a job, bought a truck, and spent too much time in art galleries. I painted all the time in hopes of selling them, but once they were finished, I ended up liking them too much."

"Her room was full of paintings." Kaylee smiled. "She even painted a few for me."

"What happened to your family?" Ellis asked Morgan.

"When my street was evacuated, I was out on a drive. I got home and found the place empty. My mom left a note, saying to stay there until the second evacuation. But...no other evacuations happened in my town. I don't know where they are or if they're even alive."

"I'm sorry I asked." He frowned.

"No, it is okay. They're tough cookies."

"You don't have to act so strong for everyone, Morgan." Kaylee frowned.

Morgan looked down at the floor.

"She's always looking out for me." Kaylee explained to the others. "I'm really unlucky. Every year in high school, something would end up sending me to the hospital. Abusive boy friends...falling lumber...you name it. But when she was around, it was like she warded off bad spirits."

"Kaylee..." Morgan frowned.

"No, I'm serious. You always talk me out of the dumb things I try to do. Remember that full arm sleeve I wanted to get of Ariel's under water castle? Oh, or that time I almost shaved my head?"

Morgan chuckled, "I don't think that is warding off bad spirits..."

"Tell everyone about the time you stomped all over my heart." Zack spoke up.

Kaylee looked back at him. "Excuse me?"

"You messed around with me like it was nothing."

"Zack, I don't think this is the time to talk about this." Kaylee growled.

"What about you, Alan? How do you know them?" Coach asked, trying to change the subject before those two started fighting again.

Alan looked up from where he was applying ointment to Morgan's shoulder. "Oh, it isn't very interesting. Morgan found me the morning after a nasty horde attacked the West end of town."

"He looked like he needed help." Morgan continued, wincing as he touched her wounded flesh.

"I can see that still." Rochelle teased.

Alan laughed, "It's true. I wasn't really meant for undead combat. But I can fix a broken nose with two pencils!"

"Ouch." Nick commented, gritting his teeth.

"What's wrong, Nick? Had a few broken noses?" Ellis laughed.

"My fair share." He mumbled.

"If you don't mind my asking," Coach said, turning to Morgan again. "How is it you're leading them?"

"She was the president of our theatre troupe." Kaylee answered for her. "I've seen her turn fiascos into works of art. I respect her choices and so far, she's never steered us wrong."

"Yeah, I'm just glad I don't have to." Zack shrugged.

"And I don't think you need my two cents." Alan laughed, checking her stitching. "For God's sake, Morgan. How many times are you going to pop a stitch?"

"Well you know how much I love you sewing me up without pain killers." Morgan sighed.

"I can't watch that again." Rochelle said, scooting away.

"You can beat an infected with the business end of a baseball bat, but you can't watch someone get a couple of stiches?" Ellis asked, amusement on his face.

"Don't push my buttons, Ellis. You won't like me when I got my bitch face on." She warned.

* * *

><p><em>It's strange that it takes the ending of humanity to find people who accept you. I never thought I'd get back into medicine, but I feel I've found my place here. Morgan's accident was more than I could handle. So far, she has shown good signs and is recovering but I can't shake the feeling that I've done something wrong. We've been in here a little over a day and the fact that she can pull herself up is wonderful, even if it causes us constant strain when we have to make her get back down.<em>

_She has a firey soul, that much is certain. I think we will be here a while, but this space is bigger than the last we were in and moral is good._

_If I get the chance, it will be Ellis that takes the next Tank attack. I won't be rushing to his side. I don't trust him._

_-Found stuffed into Morgan's journal. Written by Alan, possibly taken from his own log._

* * *

><p>"You never told me what you did to the Tank." Morgan spoke up. It seemed that her and Ellis were the only two awake again, but she had a feeling he was staying up on purpose.<p>

"I gave him an axe right to the forehead." He replied. "Wedged that sucker in real deep. He won't be hurtin' anyone else."

"Are you serious? That's crazy." She gasped.

"Nick says that people have been known to have super human strength in moments of peril. Like this one time, me and my buddy Keith were watching the news and we saw a report where a woman lifted a car off a baby that was trapped. Not like, over her head or nothing."

"I think I saw that one." She nodded.

"Yeah, Keith wanted to test the theory. So he went out and tried to lift up his truck. He lifted with his back, which is the number one rule of what not to do. He messed it up real bad but lucky for him, the girl he was dating at the time had 911 on speed dial."

"It's three numbers." Morgan laughed. "Why would you need speed dial?"

"Keith got into bad situations a lot. Every second counted." Ellis explained.

"Where is he now?" She asked.

"I...I don't know. We got in a fight a few days before the evacuations and weren't talking. Sometimes I worry he didn't make it, but then I tell myself he has lived through things most people never would, and that no damn flu could take ol' Keith down."

"Maybe we'll find him" Morgan smiled, touching his hand.

He looked over at her. "You think so? I really hope so. I want to tell him I'm sorry, and about all the cool stuff that's been happening to me."

"You should get some sleep, El."

"I will. I just wanted to make sure you could sleep alright tonight. You talk in your sleep."

"Oh...I'm sorry if it keeps you up."

"Naw, it's okay. I just wish I could help or something." He replied.

"I have nightmares. It is nothing serious."

"You shouldn't do that so much. Everyone needs help sometimes, Em."

"I know, but I don't deserve the help. I've had a good life. I should be helping other people." She protested.

Ellis laughed quietly and patted her hair gently. "I think you ought to be getting some sleep."

"I reckon you're right." She giggled, leaning into his shoulder.


	9. Unexpected Hero

"Keep her quiet!" Coached barked, shooting at the infected that were thrashing their arms through the barred door of the safe room in the tunnel of love.

"I'm trying!" Ellis called back, hand pressed against Morgan's lips.

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she screamed against his hand, back pressed against the carpet.

"Morgan, it's okay!" Rochelle pleaded. "You're okay, please stop."

"Hold still, damnit!" Alan yelled, struggling against her feet as she kicked at him.

Kaylee got down on her knees beside her friend. "Ssshh...it's okay." She whispered, holding her head gently. This seemed to calm her, and her body settled back down.

Coach backed away from the door, alerted infected in a dead pile on the other side. "Someone want to explain to me what the hell that was?"

"She was having a nightmare." Ellis frowned, "I tried to wake her up gentle like but I guess it startled her. She must've thought I was infected because she popped me real good on the head."

Morgan sat up slowly and crawled on her hands and knees over to the corner where she pulled herself up into a ball. With her head rested on the wall, she closed her eyes.

Kaylee stood up, "I'm really sorry everyone. When she wakes up again, she should be fine. This only happened once before."

"Yeah and the other time was worse, so maybe she's getting over it." Zack muttered, angry from the rude awakening.

"You can't be mad at her for something she can't control." Kaylee snapped.

"She could've killed all of us!"

"Hey, be fair." Nick spoke up. "There were only a few. We were never in danger."

"Whatever." Zack shrugged, walking to the far wall to get away from them.

"It was my fault for trying to wake her." Ellis frowned. "I guess it is like trying to wake someone who is sleep walking."

"Let's just try to get back to sleep, everyone." Rochelle suggested.

* * *

><p>Morgan stood by the door a few hours later, hat in hand. "We should keep moving."<p>

"Are you sure you're okay?" Rochelle asked.

"I'm fine. I've caused enough trouble. If Coach thinks we can go, then I say we go."

Coach picked up his shot gun. "There's enough of us here to handle anything in there. Let's get out of this damn room."

Guns were loaded, shoes tied, and the door opened. Coach was out first and the rest followed closely behind him. Narrow corridors left little chance for sneak attacks and the group progressed quickly.

"Looks like we've wandered into the swan maintenience room of love." Ellis chuckled as they walked into a side room full of extra swan boats.

"Keep an eye out. I got a bad feeling." Coach spoke quietly.

Ellis took Morgan's hand in the dark and led her along. A growl filled the large, square room. She dropped his hand and held up her gun.

A figure up above them on the cat walk was crawling along the shadows. It was just out of sight, eyes glowing under its hoodie. The creature looked down on them, its vision orange and slightly cloudy. Zack was a little farther away from the others. It growled again.

Zack screamed as the infected pounced onto his chest and clawed at his black t shirt. Rochelle was closest to him, and fired her gun three times into the Hunter's shoulder. It fell off of him.

"What the fu-Ack!" He yelled out, clutching his chest.

"That was a hunter." Coach nodded, "We best be more careful and stick together."

"Let me bandage you up so it doesn't get infected." Alan said, opening up his pack.

"It's fine for now. Let's just keep going." Zack winced.

"Are you su-" Kaylee began.

"I'm fine! What the fuck would you even care?"

She stormed toward him but stopped when Morgan grabbed her shoulder. "Ignore him."

"Alright."

They moved up the stairs in pairs of two and rounded the corner. It didn't take long to escape the other side of the tunnel and soon they were once again in open air under the moonlit sky.

"I've been doing some thinking." Coach said as they made their way toward the Peach Pit Stadium. "The helicopters we keep hearing probably have no idea we're down here and need to be rescued."

"What should we do?" Morgan asked him, a slight limp in her step.

"The Midnight Riders were scheduled to play here. That means all their equipment is set up inside."

"Midnight Riders!" Ellis grinned, "They got the best pyrotechnics in the State! I remember this one time I had front row seats. Burned off my eyebrows."

"So you're saying we set off their fireworks and laser lights hoping one of the pilots sees them?" Rochelle asked, ignoring Ellis' excitement.

"That's exactly what I'm saying." Coach nodded.

"Hey, we can cut through the Screamin' Oak to get to the stadium!" Ellis interjected.

"Do I even want to know what that is?" Nicked sighed.

"It's a Roller Coaster." Coach answered.

They headed toward the towering scructure. It was an older model, with wide wooden tracks and only one set of cars by the looks of it. Morgan had seen something similar in a movie once but had never been on a coaster in her life. The bottom of the tracks were crawling with infected, but nothing worse than what they'd already seen. In one large sweep, most of the bottom floor was clear.

"Hey, over here." Nick called.

The rest of the group walked over to where he was standing at the front of the ride. There was a large gate that led onto the tracks and some empty cars.

"If we start the ride, it'll move that crap out of the way. Then if we just stay on the tracks-"

"We get to run on the tracks all the way to the next safe house!" Ellis finished for him.

Rochelle squinted and looked in the distance where the tracks ended. "Yeah, I see it. We can make a quick stop and grab some ammo before fighting our way into the stadium."

"Hit the button, Nick. Everyone get ready to run." Coach ordered, cocking his shot gun.

Nick pressed the button on the wall and the chain-link gate opened. The cars rocketed ahead along the tracks, knocking infected that had wandered onto the tracks over the edge. The group ran single file with Nick in the lead. The noise of the ride had alerted all the nearby zombies and they angrily began to scale the sides of the coaster.

"Knock 'em down!" Coach barked, stomping on the hands of an infected as it tried to pull itself up.

Alan swung the crowbar he'd picked up and knocked back a nasty looking woman as she ran toward him. Her neck ripped and her head flopped back, hanging on by an inch of skin. She stumbled and fell over the edge of the wooden track.

Morgan could feel her mending skin begin to tear again as she ran. Her hand clutched her side and she felt the familiar warmth of blood between her fingers. Hopefully nobody would notice.

"I can see it!" Nick grinned, "Just a little farther!"

Rochelle beat back two infected with her Louisville slugger. "I can keep this up all day!"

At the end of the line, Nick quickly smashed his way through the mob and shut down the ride. It would keep any more infected from being provoked and maybe calm the ones that hadn't seen them yet. "Okay everyone, get inside!"

Zack ran inside first, followed by Rochelle. Ellis pulled Morgan inside and held her up, noticing the sticky blood on her shirt. Alan ran inside with Coach behind him. "Hey, where's Kaylee?" Nick asked.

"She was right behind me." Coach said, turning around.

Nick ran back, jumping the guard rails in front of the safehouse. "Kaylee!"

"Help!" She called from the distance.

He followed the sound of her voice and saw her dangling over the edge of the tracks, a long wet tongue wrapped around her waist. "Shit."

His shoes slapped against the wood as he quickly ran to the spot where a vile smoker had her trapped. If he shot it, she would fall to her death. Instead, he pulled out his hunting knife and flipped it open. He grabbed the slippery tongue that hung from the creature's mouth and then kicked the creature hard in the chest. It was helpless, and fell over the opposite end. Nick held tight to the end he still had in his hand and drove his knife through the tongue and into the wood. When he tried to pull her up, the pink tube began to slide out of his grasp.

As she began to slip away, something heavy pushed him aside and he tumbled along the track. He pulled himself up quickly, only to find that Zack had shoved him.

"Hang on, Baby Doll, I got ya." Zack grunted, grabbing onto the pink tube with both hands and pulling her up. She grabbed onto his shirt once she was back on solid ground, whole body shaking. After tearing off the limp remains of the wet tongue, he quickly led her back into the safehouse.

Nick brushed off his sleeve and followed after them. "Whatever." He mumbled to himself.


	10. Brief Moment of Humanity

It knew only pain. It no longer had the words for these feelings, but it knew how to make the pain less. It's eyes were always burning, but in the darkness, it was not as bad. The orange film that clouded its vision responded harshly to light, and it quickly learned to avoid it. But then there was sound. Oh, how it hated sound! Even the faintest noise made its head throb in agony. It would clutch the fleshy little things on the side of its head to make the pain stop. If the sound did not go away quickly, it grew angry. It would silence the sound at any cost, even if it meant more pain from moving.

* * *

><p>"Look at 'em out there." Ellis whispered, his eyes watching the few infected near the safehouse door.<p>

Zack walked up behind him and looked out. They weren't moving at all, just sitting or leaning with their heads pressed up against the wall.

"They aren't like zombies I seen in movies." Ellis continued.

"Expecting them to start dancing?" Nick smirked.

"Naw, you know what I mean. That would be cool though."

"Okay, everyone. If you're all reloaded let's head out." Coach spoke.

The moon was high and full in the sky as the eight unfortunate survivors moved across the blood-stained pavement. It seemed that the closer they got to the stadium, the more the zombies seemed to double and triple in numbers. A balled-up newspaper rolled across the stretch on concrete in front of them like a tumble weed before a shoot-out as they came upon a large scaffolding near the iron gate to the Peach Pit. A few scattered gas cans littered the enclosed area between buildings, and they would not be able to continue until the gate was opened.

"It looks like we don't have much of an option." Nick announced as he approached the gate. "We sound an alarm and then wait for zombies to rip out our guts. Look at them all over there."

"Actually...I think I have an idea." Morgan spoke up. She was leaning on Ellis for support, her side burning from the pain of a freshly ripped wound.

"What's that?" Coach asked.

"See those gas cans?" Morgan asked as she pointed a few out. "Put two in front of the gate, one by the wall next to it, and if there is one left, put it behind the scaffolding. Then, seven of us climb up onto it, like a deer stand."

"I get what yer saying." Ellis smiled, "We shoot the zombies from up on the scaffold. But what's the cans for?"

"Once the other person hits the button to open the gate, they run back and get on the scaffolding. Then four of you each shoot a gas can. Trust me."

"That may just be the stupidiest idea I've ever agreed with." Nick smirked.

Rochelle and Alan gathered up two gas cans and set them up by the gate where Morgan suggested while Zack and Kaylee set up the other two. Once everyone but Ellis was safely up above the ground, Ellis smashed the button to open the electric gate. There was a high pitched noise as the gate opened and he ran back as fast as he could before the horde arrived. He pulled himself up onto the wooden platform just as Morgan, Kaylee, Coach, and Rochelle fired their guns and ignited the red cans. There was a small explosion of intense heat as they caught fire and formed a flaming sea around the scaffolding. Infected hissed and yelled out as their skin boiled and burned away after they dumbly climbed over the fences and fell into the blaze. Those that lived through the burning were quickly shot down. This went on for some time as the fires slowly dwindled down. Finally it was safe enough to cross.

They stepped over the charred remains of the infected and rounded the corner to the large stadium doors. Giant posters announced the show for the Midnight Riders as they walked inside.

"I love the Midnight Riders." Coach smiled. "I have all their albums, even the new ones that ain't no good."

"Can we focus, please?" Nick sighed.

To their surprise, the stadium was nearly empty. From what they could see, only three lonely infected had wandered into the stands.

"Looks like we walked into a Nickleback concert by mistake." Morgan laughed.

This got a chuckle out of the group, but it didn't last. They walked down in front of the stage and looked around. They would be able to start the show, that was for sure, but nobody seemed too excited to do so.

"Do you hear that?" Alan spoke up.

"Hear what?" Rochelle asked.

"Exactly." Alan sighed. "There haven't been any choppers in over an hour. If we start that show now, the only thing that's going to see it is whatever infected are still in the surrounding area."

"I hate to say it, but I think Alan is right." Zack frowned.

"Let's not give up yet." Morgan said. "This is probably the safest place we've wandered into so far. If some of us stay up near the lights, and the rest of us stay near the sound, we can wait until we hear another helicopter and start this bad boy up then."

"Well, it's not like we can walk back out there now. I'd hate to waste our only chance." Coach nodded.

"There's some vending machines up there by the light board we can raid." Ellis pointed.

"Nice eye, come on, Ellis." Nick gestured as he scaled up the stadium bleachers. Ellis climbed up after him, leaving the others to come up with a plan.

"There's eight of us." Coach said, "So we can keep four by each post."

"I don't mind staying down here on the stage." Rochelle said.

"I'll stay down here too." Alan said. "I don't like heights very much."

"That's two then. Morgan, what do you say?" Coach asked.

"Well, someone needs to keep an eye on those two." She laughed, pointing at Ellis and Nick.

"I'd rather stay down here." Kaylee said, pulling herself up onto the stage.

"Me too." Zack nodded.

"Then it's settled." Coach said. "Morgan, you need any help getting up there?"

"I think I can manage." She replied, stepping away from where she had been leaning against the stage.

Nick looked carefully at the food behind the glass. "Chips, chocolate, some kind of breath mints..."

"Got any choco choppers?" Ellis asked. "Those are Coach's favorite."

"Yeah, there's a few in there."

"I don't have any change with me."

Nick laughed and turned around, "You don't need any money, Ellis." He took Ellis' hunting rifle out of his hands and slammed it against the glass butt-end first. The glass shattered and fell inside the vending machine and down by their feet. "It's on me."

Ellis and Nick laughed as they reached in and pulled out as much junk food as they could. Once Coach and Morgan joined them, they settled in near the light board and had a snack.

"I ever tell you about the time me and Keith tried to make our own fireworks?" Ellis asked, "Now, I didn't know shit about chemistry but Keith figured gasoline burns right? Third degree burns over 90 percent of his body. The doctor had to call a few other doctors because he'd never seen burns over existing burns before."

"Ellis, I got a question for you and I don't mean to offend by asking it." Coach said, back against the light board.

"Shoot." He smiled, chewing on a beef stick.

"How the Hell does your friend Keith survive all that crazy shit?"

Ellis laughed so hard he almost started to choke, "I asked him the same thing before. He says he is indestructable, like Kevin Bacon in the movie Hollow man."

"What?" Nick said, "He wasn't indestructable."

"Yeah but he got set on fire a couple times and lived." Ellis pointed out.

* * *

><p>"Kaylee...I want to talk to you." Zack said as he followed her across the stage.<p>

"I already thanked you for saving me."

"No, not that. About us."

She turned around and looked at him, "What is there to talk about? You got mad when I said I didn't want a serious relationship and told everyone at school that I was a cheating slut. Now you want to talk about us? My senior year was a nightmare because of you!"

"Kaylee, I'm sorry! It was stupid. I was stupid! I just thought what we were doing actually meant something to you like it did me."

"It did, okay? I was afraid of commitment. So, thank you for backing up that fear." She snapped.

"Can we start over fresh? Be friends?"

"No." Kaylee answered coldly. "Not now. Maybe, if we survive this. But right now, I don't care what happens to you. Just stay out of my face."

Zack shoved his hands into his pockets and walked back to where Alan was helping Rochelle paint her nails. This confused him.

"Uh...what are you doing?"

"He's doing my left hand for me." Rochelle replied.

"Why?"

"Because I'm left handed." She explained.

"I mean why are you even bothering to paint your nails? We're in the middle of a zombie invasion." Zack sighed.

"That doesn't mean we aren't allowed to enjoy the things we used to enjoy." Rochelle explained. "If we don't take the chance to be human the few times the chance arises, we'll go insane."

"You agree with that?" Zack asked Alan.

He looked up as he screwed the cap back on Rochelle's little red bottle of nail varnish. "Yeah, why wouldn't I?"

Zack sat down and rested his head on his hand. "How do you even know how to paint nails anyway? Isn't that a chick thing?"

"I had a younger sister before this." Alan replied.

* * *

><p>Ellis got up and climbed over a fallen soda machine to get into the men's bathroom. He had his rifle with him, not just for zombies but also because it had a flashlight and the bathrooms were dark. He made a quick check of every stall, but opted for the urinal on the wall to relieve himself. After zipping up, he walked over to the sinks to see if the water still worked. He turned on the faucet to no avail, but saw that the soap dispenser was full. He lathered up his hands with it, scrubbing dry dirt and blood off as best he could. Wiping the grim off with a towel, he saw a metal box hanging on the wall by the paper towels. He shown his light over it and read the small labels over the slots. It was a type of vending machine that had everything from cologne to pain-killers.<p>

"You okay in here?" Nick asked as he walked in.

"Yeah. Hey, look at this thing."

Nick walked over and shown his light on it. "Nice find. Let's see if we can open it."

"What do you want from it?" Ellis asked, helping his friend pull it off the wall.

"It's got asprin, and a little cologne wouldn't hurt."

"You smell alright to me."

"I'm talking about you." Nick laughed, wedging his crow bar under the lock.

It wasn't hard to break it open. Nick bent down and picked up the packages of asprin. They were in little individual packages of two. Once outside, he planned on opening them all and putting them into the asprin bottle they picked up a while ago. Ellis rooted through the little cologne samples, wondering if he really did smell that bad. He sniffed under his arm and nearly gagged.

Nick laughed, "Told you. There's plenty of wet napkins in here for you to get some of the stink off. If you're okay in here, I'm heading back out."

"Yeah alright." He replied, pulling off his ripe shirt and scooping up the wipes. He opened a few and scrubbed his chest and arms as well as he could, suddenly longing for a hot shower. Then he tore open a cologne packet and rubbed it across his collarbones and under his arms. It was better than nothing. After pulling on his shirt, he gave one last look through the tiny treasure trove. He laughed to himself about how everything in here came in some kind of little square package. Turning one over in his palm, he read the lettering. 'Trojan'. He looked around the room again, seeing if Nick had really left. The coast was clear. He picked up two more and shoved them in his pocket before walking back out.

* * *

><p>"I should've gone up with them." Zack sighed. "I didn't know that staying on the floor meant I'd be playing beauty salon."<p>

"Oh please." Rochelle laughed, "You are so cranky."

Rochelle was giving Alan a much-needed hair cut while they waited for signs of a helicopter. She'd already trimmed up Kaylee's bangs.

"They're up there eating and sitting around." Zack pointed. "What's next? Are you going to teach us the bend and snap?"

"I already know the bend and snap." Alan laughed.

Kaylee laughed so hard she had to hold her noise to prevent her water from coming out of it. "Alan, don't be funny while I'm drinking!"

"Sorry, I didn't know you were. I can't move my head yet."

"You know, Zack, I can give you one next. You've got more hair in your face than on your head."

"No thank you. I like my hair the way it is."

* * *

><p>Morgan walked along with Ellis across the stadium bleachers. Every so often, she would set down one of the boxes of fireworks they picked up, look back up at the large towering scaffolding, move the box, then keep walking.<p>

"You really think these will ignite the way the gas did?" Ellis asked, handing her another box from the small pile in his arms.

"We can only hope. So far I've had good luck making things explode."

"I never would've come up with any of this stuff. I see an infected and I shoot it or hit it, but I like the way you do it."

She smiled at him, "I like the way you do it too, but I'm not as sturdy as you are. I need to use the world around me to stand a chance."

"Sturdy? What do you mean?"

"Sturdy." She smirked, stopping to talk to him face-to-face. "You've got broad, firm shoulders and strong arms..."

He blushed and looked down, a smile plastered to his face. "I took a karate lesson once..."

Morgan giggled and put her hand under his chin, bringing his face up to hers. "You smell nice too."

_Thank you, Nick!_ Ellis continued to smile at her, arms full of fireworks.

"Kiss me." She whispered. He leaned his face in to hers and met her soft lips with his eager kiss. He was certain the boxes would ignite in his arms from the heat of it, but thankfully only Keith was that unlucky. The boxes fell from his hands as he dropped them, wrapping his arms around her slender waist.

* * *

><p>It knew only pain. It no longer had the words for these feelings, but it knew how to make the pain less. When the thing approached it, shining light into its burning eyes, it could not control itself. It ran toward the thing with the light, clawed at its warm fleshy parts as it emmited horrible noise. It had to make the noise stop! It bit down on the fleshy thing's shoulder.<p>

The pilot shoved the infected off of him, fired at it with his pistol until it moved no more. "Fucking mother fucker!" He cursed, pulling his jacket on over the wound. "A man can't even stop to piss around here any more."

He climbed back into his chopper and took off. If he cut over the old Whispering Oaks carnival, he might be able to catch up with the other choppers.


	11. The Skin of Our Teeth

Alan heard it before anyone else. It was distant, but unmistable. "Chopper!" He yelled, dashing across the stage to hit the sound.

Nick shot up and started flicking on every switch on the light board. "Move people! One chance!"

Those on the stage ran as a group toward the scaffolding tower near the center of the stands. It was dangerously high, but the only safe ground if infected managed to get inside. Rochelle and Kaylee went up first with Alan and Zack right behind them. Morgan and Ellis were nearby and joined them quickly on the tower. In under 30 seconds, the entire group had scaled to the peak.

"We've got infected." Nick announced, picking up his rifle.

"Beat 'em back!" Coach barked, moving to the other side.

They swarmed in like angry cattle, drawn towards the lights and sounds like moths to a flame. The voices of the Midnight Riders blarred over every speaker in the house as lazer lights danced frantically. Ellis aimed his rifle at one of the boxes Morgan dropped and fired just as a group of infected were running over it. The box ignited in a spray of blue fireworks. Arms and legs were blown off, just as the box so carefully warned.

"What the Hell?" Coach gasped.

"Aim at those boxes!" Ellis squealed.

"Charger!" Rochelle screamed.

"What?" Alan looked around.

There it was, running across the stage right for them. It had one large grotesque arm that was so calloused over it took on the appearance of stone. Its other arm was shriveled up and tiny, flopping around like the neck of a rubber chicken. Infected in the Charger's path were knocked to the side as it plowed through them.

"Damn! Now there's a feller who masturbates all day long!" Ellis spoke as he reloaded his hunting rifle.

"Just shoot the damn thing!" Kaylee screamed, firing at it with her pistols.

It slammed into the tower, sending everyone flying. Ellis tumbled backwards over the guard rail behind him but caught on to it before he could plummet to his death. Alan scrambled up to his feet first and saw Ellis hanging on by one hand. He turned away.

Rochelle crawled along and grabbed her gun as it dangling halfway over the edge. The charger was moving around to the other side and fast. Nick pulled himself up, realizing his gun had fallen all the way down to the bottom.

"Help! I can't hang on!" Ellis screamed.

Nick grabbed onto his arm with both hands and pulled him up.

"Anyone who still has weapons better start shooting!" Coach ordered.

Rochelle fired just as fast as her shotgun allowed. Kaylee lost one pistol but continued firing with it. Finally the ugly beast fell. The swarm around them had grown in the mean time, and they were starting to climb the walls up to them.

Morgan had pulled herself to her knees but couldn't move further just yet. Her vision was cloudy, head throbbing. Her head had connected with the guard rail when she fell.

"Give 'em Hell!" Zack grinned as he fired his machine gun in a deadly spray across the stands, catching at least five boxes of fireworks in the cross fire. Half of teh stadium was quickly cleared in raindbow explosions of red, blue, and green.

"Where the Hell is that chopper?" Coach yelled.

The concert below them raged on, moving into its second set.

Morgan looked to her left and her face met with the hissing and strained features of an infected. She rolled to the right just as its claw-like fingers swiped at her. She grabbed a pipe bomb from the small stockpile they had up there. The infected pulled itself up toward her and she shoved the device into its mouth as it roared. With one booted foot, she kicked it with all of her might and sent it falling over the edge. The red light blinked as it beeped, drawing other infected toward it. Morgan covered her ears as the device exploded and another small group was taken care of. Her vision was coming back now, and she saw the frightened expressions of her team mates above her as they tried to hold the horde back. She rose to her feet, everything seeming to be happening in slow motion. Behind Kaylee, she saw a smoker slowly unhinge its slimy jaws as it readied its tongue. It was down by the fallen soda machines, nearly six feet tall and thin like the Slender Man from her nightmares.

_I promise...no more sacrifices._

Morgan blinked. The fight was back to normal speed. Grabbing the unlit molotov off Kaylee's belt, she forced her friend down with a firm hand on the back. The tongue shot just over their heads as Morgan tossed the bottle up in the air. The fleshy pink tube retracted with the glass container and shattered inside its mouth.

Little did they know, a more serious threat had been alerted by the best pyrotechnics in the county. A thundering tank roared across the battle field and grabbed onto the tower they stood on. It jerked with all its strength and began to pull it off its hinges.

The group huddled together as their frame shook. They would fall and either break their necks or be strangled by the horde. The stage sparkled as rockets fired from the front of the stage, sending bright white trails up into the night sky.

Alan looked down and saw where a pile of firework boxes had all been dropped together...right under the Tank's enormous feet. He took the lighter from his pocket in his shaking hands and only barely managed to get it lit. It was easy to break the safety, and with the flame flickering undeterred, he dropped it over the edge.

And the Midnight Riders thought _their _finale was the best light display.

The monster went up like a dry Christmas tree covered in gasoline and faulty lights. Sparkling lights, rockets, smoke bombs, and every other kind of pretty explosive imaginable shot around, under, and even through the Tank. It stumbled backwards, letting go of the tower as infected swarmed it.

Harsh wind blasted their faces as a shiny black helicopter slowly lowered down in front of the tower. The pilot waved to them. "Are you infected?"

"Do we look infected you co-" Nick began to yell but was cut-off when Rochelle grabbed his shoulder and shoved him into the open door of the chopper.

They all piled in quickly just as the scaffolding began to collapse in on itself.

* * *

><p><em>I miss her so much. My sweet little sister. How could I have not been thinking about her this whole time? Am I really that bad? I've been so focused on staying alive that I forgot about what I hold most dear...been so focused on my hate.<em>

_She didn't deserve to go the way she did. I know this infection is treatable...I know it! It's just a damn flu! They could've saved her! They could've saved everyone..._

_A fifteen year old girl shouldn't have to say goodbye. I will find CEDA. I will kill them. I will kill them all for what they did to her...kill them like I should've killed Ellis._

_-Found inside Morgan's journal. Believed to be taken from Alan's own log._

* * *

><p>Rochelle watched from the open door as the stadium faded in a glow of light. If the helicopter would've come ten seconds later and they might all be dead right now. She shuddered.<p>

"You okay?" Kaylee asked her.

"Of course." She smiled, "We made it didn't we?"

"I hope you took out as many of those bastards as you could before I showed up." The pilot spoke.

"I think that was the most we've killed at a time so far." Nick commented, inspecting the damage on his suit.

"We lost most of our weapons and supplies though." Morgan frowned, thankful she hadn't lost her hat too.

"Let's empty our pockets and see what we've got left." Coach suggested.

They slid the doors closed and sat around in a circle. Nick reached into his pant pockets and came up with a pack of gum, a pack of playing cards, a pocket knife, a pack of matches from his favorite casino, and a few pill packs that he hadn't emptied earlier. He still had a pistol as well. Zack dug around and found a crumpled up twenty dollar bill. Rochelle had nail polish, small folding scissors, a cell phone that no longer worked, and car keys. This continued around the circle, nobody having anything terribly useful. When it was Ellis' turn, his hand froze in his pocket as his fingers touched the three square packages he'd picked up only hours earlier.

"What's wrong?" Morgan asked.

_If I take these out she'll think I'm some kinda pervert. Oh no...what if she thinks I was gonna try coming on to her? Shit...why'd I even pick these up?_

"Ellis?" Nick asked, his face smug.

"I...got a hole in my pocket!"

"Well that settles it then. As soon as we land, we have to build our supplies back up. As it stands, only 6 of us are armed and we barely have any ammo." Coach spoke up.

"We have at least another hour of flying." The pilot interrupted. "Rest now while you can. I don't know what conditions are like in New Orleans."

"So that's where you're all headed." Morgan asked.

"It's supposed to be the last safe place left." Coach replied.

"I don't trust that for a minute." She shook her head. "I'm taking my team Northwest. It couldn't have spread that far yet, but if worse comes to worse we are going to Canada."

"That's crazy." Nick scoffed. "You'll die trying to get there."

"And what if New Orleans looks like Georgia? What will you do then?" She asked.

"That isn't going to happen."

Ellis looked at Morgan, "You mean we're splitting up once we land?"

"Now now, calm down everyone." Coach said. "Rest up. We'll worry about it when we get there."


	12. Beauty

_From here on out, the story will follow a path unlike that of Left 4 Dead 2. Certain game themes will still be used, but taking them all the way to New Orleans would've taken them too far from the plot line I've drawn out. -Paradoxygen_

* * *

><p>They were in the air for about thirty minutes when the pilot suddenly slumped over the controls. The chopper swung around violently and began to plummet sideways toward the swamp land below. Nick grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him up, only to see that his face had gone pale. "Oh shit!"<p>

The pilot hissed, green slime forming in the corners of his mouth. Without hesitation, Nick pulled his pistol from his belt and fired twice into the pilot's forehead.

"Are you crazy?" Rochelle yelled, punching Nick on the shoulder.

"He was trying to eat us!"

"Somebody grab the controls!" Kaylee screamed, falling to the floor as the chopper rocked like a ship in a storm.

Ellis jumped over the seat and grabbed the steering mechanism, pulling back.

Everyone yelled out as it spun helplessly and crashed into the soft, muddy ground. Alan coughed harshly as he pulled himself up, nose bleeding.

The cabin was quickly filling with smoke and after everyone had crawled out, the chopper went up in flames. They sat on the ground watching their only hope for survival burn up. The group slowly turned around and looked back at Nick.

"You all saw him." Nick defended, " He must have gotten bitten before he picked us up."

"You could've handled that better!" Coach sighed.

"Guys, he did what any of us would've done." Morgan said, standing up and shaking out her hat before putting it back on.

"The important thing is we're all alive." Kaylee nodded.

"Not for long." Zack growled, cocking his gun at Nick.

"Hey!" Kaylee shoved his arm, "Don't even joke like that!"

"I wasn't."

"That's...dark." Alan frowned.

"Everyone just stay calm. Let's try to figure out where we are." Rochelle suggested.

"What? Like stop and ask for directions?" Nick replied sarcastically.

"Boy, you are in no position to give us attitude." Rochelle warned.

"If anyone here is a boy, it's Ellis." Nick pointed.

"Hey! I'm a grown man!" Ellis snapped.

"You're like a five-year old with guns and a comprehensive grasp of every swear word in the English language!"

Ellis moved in closer, fists balled. "You take that back you son of a bitch!"

"Watch yourself, Ellis, I'll beat you so bad, your sister's gonna wish she never gave birth to you." Nick growled, moving in.

Coach grabbed Nick by the shoulders and pulled him back, "Calm down, both of you! Nick, this ain't the time to be picking fights. We're killing infected, not each other." He demanded, giving him a shove back, "You watch yourself."

Morgan toughed Ellis' arm but he jerked it away. "Nick, you listen to me and you listen real good. My sister was an angel. I gave up my place in the evacuation so my mom and my sister would be safe. You wouldn't know shit about what that feels like because you don't care about nobody but yourself. The next time you say something about my family will be the last time you got teeth in your mouth. Now shut the hell up unless you got something useful to say."

The group fell silent as Ellis walked ahead, gun over one shoulder. They all looked back at Nick save Morgan, who continued to watch after the boy she'd grown so fond of. He wiped his hand on his eye as he walked with his back to them. It was at that point she knew...everyone evacuated was dead. There would be no more following routes to CEDA's safehouses. CEDA was the enemy; she knew this with every fiber of her being.

"Ellis, sweetie, wait up!" Rochelle called, jogging after him.

The area surrounding them was a dense cluster of trees, but in the distance everything seemed to open up.

"Leave me alone, Rochelle." He spoke as confidently as could as he kept his eyes ahead.

She slowed done and the others caught up, letting Ellis lead the way.

Nobody said anything for a while.

* * *

><p>Alan and Morgan weren't armed, having lost their weapons in the carnival battle. They stayed in the middle of the group even after Morgan insisted she'd be fine just swinging a tree branch. The trees thinned out gradually until they landed on an old asphalt road.<p>

"Now what?" Nick asked.

"Well, we pick a direction." Morgan shrugged.

"But we are completely lost." Kaylee spoke. "One way takes us the right way, and the other leads us back toward the doo-doo pile we just crawled out of."

"Hey, Rochelle, do you still have your cell phone?" Morgan asked.

"Yeah but...I don't think we can 411..."

"Just let me see it."

Rochelle reached into her back pocket and pulled it out. "Alright, here."

Morgan looked it over, checking the spot where it charged. "Good, you have the model with the magnetic charger on the end."

"Uhm...what?" Rochelle raised an eyebrow.

"When you charge your phone, the charger just sticks on because this end of the phone has a positive charge." Morgan explained, walking over to Alan. "Can I look in your medkit?"

"Okay..."

"What the fuck is she talking about?" Nick whispered to Coach.

"I don't know but I'm curious to find out." He replied quietly.

Morgan dug around and pulled out the small pack of needles and thread intended for stitches. There wasn't much of the special thread left after her encounter with the Tank. She removed a single needle and began rubbing it along the bottom of Rochelle's phone.

"Morgan?" Ellis questioned.

"Ellis, I need you to pour a little bit of our water into the lid of the canteen." She replied as she continued to run the needle against the bottom of the phone.

He did as he was told, though in all honesty he was feeling a little freaked out. "Uh, now what?"

"Place it down on the road." She replied, handing Rochelle's phone back.

Everyone backed up and watched as she took Zack's crumpled up twenty and tore off a small piece. She got down on her knees and placed the needle on top of the little scrap of paper and placed it on the shallow pool of water. The shred of money soaked up the water and sank to the bottom, leaving the magnetized needle floating on the surface. It wiggled slightly as it moved left and held the new position.

"Well I'll be damned." Coach grinned. "A compass."

Morgan smiled and removed the needle, giving it back to Alan. "We have our direction. Let's get moving while we still have daylight."

The road was completely barren, the forest on one side and sweeping empty farmland on the other. The best part: no signs of infection anywhere. There were no other people either, but that was hardly a concern at this point.

Coach walked in front beside Nick and Alan. Kaylee, Zack, and Rochelle took the middle with Rochelle between them to prevent bickering. Morgan and Ellis walked slower, mostly because of her limp. But when Ellis shyly took her hand, she did not object. It was one of those small comforts Rochelle had been mentioning and she would enjoy these moments while they lasted.

"Okay," Rochelle smiled. "I will be your therapist, and the three of us are going to work through your little issues with each other."

"No way." Zack scoffed.

"Not man enough to talk about your feelings?" Rochelle asked, walking with a hand on her hip.

"Yep, that's exactly it. If I admit I have feelings, you'll all know I'm secretly a woman."

"Is he always like this?" Rochelle asked.

"Pretty much." Kaylee shrugged.

"You know, I saw this special on-"

"Let me guess:" Zack interrupted. "Tyra? Dr. Phil? Oh! I know...Oprah! I bet she got on stage and gave everyone in the audience a copy of Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus!"

"I was going to say lions." Rochelle laughed. "On the discovery channel. You watch Oprah?"

"No."

Kaylee laughed, "I don't think all three of them combined could make Zack smile. If you turned him upside-down when he was frowning, he'd smile just to make it look like he was still frowning."

"Smiling hurts my face."

Rochelle broke out into laughter along with Kaylee.

"Jeeze, would you hens keep it down back there?" Nicked spoke loudly. "You'll alert the goddamn horde with all that clucking."

Rochelle blew him a raspberry and he turned around.

"No come back for that?" Kaylee giggled at him.

"Just wait a second and you'll smell it." Nick smirked.

"Is he serious?" Rochelle asked. "I don't think he's serious."

"Nick's too sophisticated to fart." Ellis chimed in. "He just clenches his ass together until it comes out his mouth in the form of sarcastic comments."

"Wow, Ellis. I think that's the biggest word to ever come out of your mouth." Nick replied.

"I graduated high school, Nick."

"And the surprises just don't stop coming!" He replied, throwing his hands in the air as he walked.

"I'll tell what did stop coming." Ellis muttered as he leaned in so only Morgan and the girls in front of him would hear. "Nick two months into his marriage."

The girls all covered their mouths to stiffle their fits of giggles. Nick turned his head around. "What? What did he say?"

"Don't worry about it." Coach smiled, "Just focus on walking."

"Yeah, because the view of endless nothing is so entertaining." Nick sighed.

* * *

><p>Luckily for them, the endless nothing opened up several hours later into a small town. There was a single light hanging at the four way stop that no longer blinked. The town was empty as far as they could tell, and might have been even before the infection. Of course they stopped at the first building they came too, feet tired from the endless walking across the hard asphalt. Morgan's leg was throbbing with pain but she didn't voice this for fear of being the bum wheel of the group.<p>

It was a bed and breakfast judging by the sign out front that read: 'Pleasantview Bed and Breakfast'. Everything inside was covered by a film of dust but was otherwise in perfect condition. The decorations were sparse with only a few arm chairs as you came in to the living room and a single couch. There was a connecting room with a few small tables where patrons once would sit and enjoy a morning cup of coffee and hearty plates of eggs, bacon, and warm buttery toast.

"I'll check upstairs." Nick spoke as he jogged up.

"I hope nobody here is allergic to dust." Rochelle said, running her hand along the banister.

"I don't have any allergies." Morgan replied.

"Yeah, me neither." Ellis spoke.

"I thought I did at one point." Alan said, "But a doctor told me otherwise."

"Weird." Zack shrugged. "I don't either."

"Same here." Kaylee said quietly, feeling a little strange about it.

"Well that's good." Coach smiled. "One less thing to worry about!"

They all followed Nick up when he gave the all clear. There were six bedrooms all together and two bathrooms. Not that it mattered since there was no running water.

"Looks like two people have to buddy up tonight." Coach said.

Everyone exchanged looks, not wanting to be the first to admit they were afraid of sleeping alone.

"Okay, okay." Coach said. "Maybe everyone should buddy up just to be safe."

There were murmers around the cluster as people paired off and chose rooms. Rochelle and Kaylee took the room in the middle. It had two small beds and a good view of the street and buildings below. Alan and Coach went to the end of the hall, taking the largest room with two queen-sized beds. Nick and Zack paired up and claimed the room on the opposite side of the others. It only had one bed, but Nick called shotgun on it before Zack was even in the room. Typical Nick. Ellis looked down at his feet, unsure of what to say. Morgan smiled but said nothing as she tried the knob on the next door over only to find it locked. However, when she tried the next one, it came open without a hitch and he followed her inside. This room had one large bed and a window seat over-looking the forest. He put his hands into his deep over-all pockets only to pull them out quickly again as if the pockets were full of mouse traps.

"It looks like we made it just in time." She commented, taking a seat by the window. "The sun is setting."

Ellis walked over and joined her, watching the orange and red sky as the burning ball of yellow sun began to dip behind the line of trees. "Beautiful ain't it?"

"It's strange..." She spoke quietly. "I forgot beauty could still exist in this world. All I've seen is death and decay and destruction...it's hard to remember."

"Not for me." He replied, looking at her.

She turned her head and their eyes met, her deep blues staring into his shy hazels. "Ellis..."

"Let me see your leg." He gestured with his hand.

"Huh?"

He leaned over and lifted her sore leg up gently as she moved so her back was against the wall of the window seat. His firm hand held the back of her knee gently as he slipped off her boot. She nibbled her lip gently as she watched him.

"I've been watching your limp get worse all day." Ellis explained as her boot came off, revealing a large white scar on the back of her ankle. His fingers grazed it gently as his eyes widened with interest.

"I got in a car accident a while back." Morgan explained. "When they were pulling me from the twisted heap, my foot caught and they nearly tore it right off. At the hospital, they managed to get it stitched up before I had to lose it entirely but...hah...I can't actually feel that foot very well most of the time from the ankle down. Lots of surgery and physical therapy helped me learn to walk again but...sometimes it acts up and makes things hard."

"Was the accident really that bad?" He frowned, "Where they had to rip you out?"

"I was the only one in three cars that lived." She replied sadly, "But thankfully I was the only one in my truck. My mom had decided to go into work early that day so I couldn't have asked her to go grocery shopping with me. I still get nightmares from it. I was awake through the whole collision. The man who hit me went through his windshield and into my hood. I s-saw every-t-thing-" She began to sob, tears rolling down her face before she could hope to control it.

Ellis took her in his arms and held her against his chest, petting her soft hair as she cried. "It's alright now, you just let it all out."

The sun had vanished beyond the horizon, leaving the sky to slowly fade from deep red to purple. Everyone locked their doors that night, shoving dressers against windows to be safe. Just because they hadn't seen infected didn't mean they weren't out there.


	13. The Ghost Town

The following morning, Coach walked around to all the doors and gave a firm wake-up knock. "No time for sleeping in, people. We have supplies and weapons that need getting!"

Morgan opened her eyes slowly, arms wrapped around the soft white pillow beneath her. She was under the ivory sheets, still wearing her clothes minus the boots. As she slowly pushed herself up onto her hip, one tank top strap slid down her shoulder and threatened to expose the small swell of her right breast. She rubbed her eye with her free hand and looked around for Ellis. The last thing she remembered was closing her eyes against his chest when she stopped crying. He must of put her in bed.

She crawled over to the edge of the bed and peeked over, blonde hair falling over one shoulder. There he was sprawled out on the floor with one of the pillows from the bed under his head, hat over his face. His chest slowly rose and fell with each breath. She decided not to wake him up for the moment.

Meanwhile, two doors down, Nick slowly opened his eyes to find that the barrier of pillows he and Zack had placed inbetween each other so they could share the bed without risks of contact had given way in the night. Slowly, he lowered his eyes to see another man's arm draped over his stomach. He jumped up quickly, grabbing the sleeping Zack by the arm and flipping him out of the bed and into the wall.

It was not the most pleasant way to wake up in the Pleasantview Bed and Breakfast to say the least.

"What did I say about touching me?" Nick yelled.

Zack pulled himself up slowly, "What the fuck is your problem?"

"You were man-handling me in your sleep!"

"Because I can control that!" Zack yelled back, rotating his shoulders.

"You get the floor the next time."

"Good! I'd rather take my chances with the roaches, you freak."

Rochelle knocked on the door, "You boys okay in there?"

"We're fine!" Nick called. He turned to Zack and pointed at him, "Nobody in this little group ever finds out I let you share my bed, okay? So help me God I will-"

"Okay okay! Whatever man. Like I want to brag about it." He brushed himself off.

Rochelle stepped away from the door as she pulled her hair back into a tidy bun. "Alright, Coach, me and Kaylee are ready."

"You four better be out in five minutes!" Coach called at the two rooms that were still occupied. Kaylee, Rochelle, Alan, and Coach walked down the stairs into the parlor and had a look around. There was at least a year's worth of dust on everything. Kaylee picked up a jar and blew off the dust, making Alan cough when he walked by.

"Whoops, sorry." Kaylee grinned.

Upstairs, Morgan got out of bed and bent down beside Ellis to try and gently wake him. She picked up his hat from his face. "Ellis...wake up...El..."

His nose wiggled but he remained asleep.

With a small smirk, Morgan leaned down and kissed him softly on the lips. "Ellis..."

His hand reached up and held the back of her head, keeping her lips on his. Her eyes widened as his fluttered open as well, grinning beneath her lips.

_You sly dog._ She thought.

Nick pulled on his suit jacket and walked out, seeing that Morgan's door was still closed. He could hear people downstairs in the old building, but figured he'd make sure they weren't still inside. "Woah ho ho! What do we have here?" He laughed, standing in the doorway.

Ellis let go and Morgan stood up, grabbing her hat off the foot of the bed. "Kissing, Nick. It is a form of affection." She smiled as she brushed past him.

He furrowed his eyebrows but took no offense, his gaze turning back to Ellis. "Did you_ sleep _well?"

"It ain't like that, Nick." Ellis defended himself as he pulled on his baseball cap. "I like her that's all. No funny business. There is more important matters at stake."

"In other words, you don't have the pair to make the move?"

"If I wanted to make the move, I would've! ...probably."

"You don't look so hot."

"I don't feel so good all of a sudden. I think I'm going to puke." Ellis replied, holding his gut.

"The thought of women too gross?" Nick teased, walking with him downstairs.

"Watch it, Nick. I'm still mad at you. I wouldn't feel bad about puking all over you."

Nick sped up and jumped the last few stairs. Everyone had ventured into the kitchen by now so he followed after them with Ellis close behind. Coach and Morgan were going through the large walk-in pantry while Rochelle found a few pans. Zack came in carrying a propane tank and before long, they had the old stove running.

"This is all a bit strange." Morgan commented as she handed Kaylee a few cans to open.

"What do you mean exactly?" Alan asked.

"Whoever owned this place...it is like they just walked away and never came back. How could the people living in this town just let this place sit full of food and furniture for this long? I want to check a few other houses around here before we leave."

"That is...abnormal." Alan nodded as Rochelle handed him a stack of plates.

"There's enough canned food in here to last a few days." Coach said, coming out with some jars of honey and more cans. "I say we make a feast this morning, take what we can from nearby businesses today, and build up our strength. Ellis looks too damn skinny."

"Hey!" Ellis chimed in. "I'm not that bad. My cover-alls are still staying up without fastening them."

"I think that's a great idea." Kaylee replied, pouring a box of grit-mix into a pot. Rochelle had been boiling water from the supply of jugs they found in the back just to be safe and now that it was drinkable, she added some to the pot. Morgan was frying up slices of Spam on the other side of the stove, thinking to herself about how much she used to hate canned meat. It was a blessing now.

The men were not entirely useless. Nick took over the task of cleaning the layer of dust from the dining room table and chairs. Alan set out the plates and silverware while Zack poured glasses of warm sweet tea from the pitcher Coach prepared.

Feast they did.

With everyone gathered around the table eating their fill, it was almost like they were an average family enjoying a daily meal together. The sun shown through the windows behind them, nothing but empty streets outside. There was no smell of decay in the air here, no coppery taste left on the tongue from breathing up the infection. It was just an average day on this tiny little speck of paradise.

Once all the pans and plates had been put away, the group left the safety of the house to inspect the rest of the little town. There first stop was only a block away, a little place called 'Mom n' Pop's general goods'. A little bell jingled above the door as Coach walked inside, door creaking on its hinges. The same layer of dust that filled the safe house was also present here. There was a small section of produce that had rotted away entirely, leaving nothing but smelly black stains in the bottom of the fruit crates. There were dry goods that might be salvageable, but not practical. There would be no carting around ten pound bags of flour now when they had no vehicle. As they walked in deeper, they found other items. There was rope, bug spray, axes, spare tires, hand bags, fishing poles, and to Nick's relief: hand sanitizer. He grabbed every small bottle on the shelf and stuffed them into his pockets. When the group gave him a look, he said nothing.

"I don't like this." Morgan spoke, running a finger along the dusty counter. "It is like everyone who lived here vanished all at once. I bet there is still money in the register."

Nick walked over and opened the machine, finding her to be exactly right. "Who would leave their store unlocked with cash in the register and just never return?"

"Maybe the people didn't evacuate." Rochelle said. "Maybe they were taken."

Morgan picked up a shotgun from behind the counter, stuffing a box of ammunition for it into a messenger bag she'd grabbed from the shelf. She slung the bag over her shoulder. "Something tells me that is what happened. The question is: Who takes a town full of people?"

"CEDA." Alan answered quietly as he looked over a shelf of medicine, taking what they would need and might need.

"Well that would explain why there are no zombies sitting around." Coach said, "Ain't nobody here to get infected."

* * *

><p>Further inspection of that town had continued much like the first store that day. Very few doors had even been locked and some were just missing all together. There were no animals either, even though they'd found plenty of chains where dogs may have been tied up in backyards beside little painted doghouses, not even so much as the decayed bones of animals. If CEDA had indeed taken away an entire small town, then what was to stop them from taking all their pets too? There were cars in nearly every driveway, only adding to the thought in everyone's head that these people hadn't gotten the urge to leave everything behind in the middle of the night.<p>

They returned to the Bed and Breakfast before nightfall, not wanting to take chances on their theory about the empty town to be false. Zack slid an iron bar across the front door while Ellis did the same to the back. Everyone else was in the living room, organizing all the loot they'd picked up that day. Alan was sitting in an arm chair, checking the expiration dates on various drugs before adding them neatly to his ever-growing medical pack.

"Looks like I accidentally picked up a bottle of Viagra." He laughed. "Hey, Nick?"

"If you say it, I will throw this entire God-damn coffee table at you." Nick growled.

Alan only laughed as he continued to sort.

"Nick, at your age, you gotta remeber to lift with your legs so you don't throw out your back." Ellis laughed from where he sat cross-legged in front of the couch.

"I'm thirty-five, you ass!"

"Stop picking on each other, boys." Rochelle giggled.

"The town's loss is our gain tonight." Coach announced as he walked back in from the kitchen. It had been his turn to put away the dishes. "Our ammo supply is almost up to where it was before the incident at the carnival, and we've doubled our food supply. All we have to do is find another bus like the one Morgan had and we'll be unstoppable."

"I miss that bus." She smiled as she stretched out on the couch.

"I miss that car. I still can't believe I got to drive Jimmy Gibbs Jr.'s stock car." Ellis whistled. "That man is a legend. If nature allowed it, I would bear that man's children."

The room fell silent as seven heads turned in unison to give Ellis the same look of confusion and shock.

"Something you uhh...want to share?" Nick spoke up.

"What do you mean?" Ellis asked.

"He doesn't have to say it if he isn't ready." Rochelle defended.

"He pretty much did just now." Alan laughed.

"Said what?" Ellis piped up.

"They're calling you queer." Coach explained.

"What? I ain't queer! There's nothing wrong with having a hero!"

"You just said you wanted to have his babies." Morgan laughed.

"Yeah, well who wouldn't? It's Jimmy Gibbs Jr.!"

Everyone but Ellis raised their hand.

"That's bull." Ellis pouted, folding his arms.

"On another note," Kaylee began. "I've finished charting out our location and new route on the map we found today. If this highway is clear, it would be the fastest but..."

"Possibly filled with infection or CEDA." Rochelle finished.

"Exactly." Kaylee nodded. "But if we follow the road we came in on, it will take us longer but has the odds of being much safer. Judging what we know from CEDA, the infection hasn't broken past Mississippi yet, just like Morgan thought."

"At this rate, we might be safe just making it to Arizona." Nick smiled, wiping off his rifle with a rag.

"Then let's do our best to find a big car with lots of gas tomorrow." Coach directed. "There's bound to be something around here we can pack a lot of people and supplies into."

The plan was decided and everyone broke off to their own rooms. Kaylee was alone in the room she shared with Rochelle for the time being, and she sat on the edge of the bed looking a picture of her parents. There was a tap of the open door and she looked over to find Zack standing there shyly. "Hey." He spoke, putting his hands into his pockets, "Can I come in?"

"Yeah, I guess." She shrugged.

He walked over and sat down next to her, looking over at the photo in her hands. He recognized them. Her mom's short brown hair under a floppy hat, stretched out on a beach chair somewhere sandy. Her father was on his knees in the sand, helping a miniature version of Kaylee build a sand castle. "I'm sure they're okay." He offered.

"I'm not." Kaylee answered honestly. "Seeing this town just made me more certain that I'm never going to see them again...that CEDA really has done something awful to everyone they claimed to save."

"Don't think like that." Zack replied, touching her shoulder so she would look at him. "You need to have something to fight for."

"Oh, I do." She said confidently, putting the picture back into her bag. "I have all of you guys, and I'm not losing anybody else."

"Even me?"

She laughed as she looked down at her lap, "Yes, Zack, even you."

"What changed?"

"Nothing changed." Kaylee answered. "I still love you. Even when I don't like you, I love you. I always have and I always will. It might not be the way you want it to be right now, but that doesn't mean it will never be. You hurt me when you turned on me in high school. You told secrets I thought were safe with you. But, things are different now, more than I could've ever imagined. If you're willing to wait, then I'm willing to forgive."

"That means a lot." He smiled. "I regret losing your trust more than anything else I lost with it."

She patted his hand and he stood up, giving her a smile before walking out of her room and back to the one he unfortunatly shared with Nick.

* * *

><p>In Coach's room, the night was still young. He and Alan managed to sneak a few beers during the day and popped them open now as they relaxed in the two arm chairs in the corner of the room. There was a small circular table between them were they left the twist-off tops. Sure, the beer was warm, but it was also the first either of them had had in weeks.<p>

"You had the right idea grabbing these, Alan." Coach chukled after taking a swig.

"I'm glad you agree." He smiled, looking out the window with a smile on his face. "Gosh, these taste damn good. I never thought I'd say that about a warm beer."

"Me either, Brother, me either."

"Think we'll find anything tomorrow?"

"I have high hopes." Coach nodded, joining Alan in admiring the view.

* * *

><p>Morgan pulled open the top drawer of the dresser, having been to tired the night before to snoop around. Ellis was downstairs helping Rochelle move furniture in fron if windows downstairs, so he too had her room to herself. She'd been expecting to find the dresser empty, save for maybe a Bible, but when she opened it there was a neat pile of folded undergarmets inside as well as socks. The second drawer down looked like pajamas, and the remaining drawers contained shirts, pants and shorts. Upon further expection, she found the bottoms to be three sizes too big for her slender frame. Morgan closed the drawers and returned to the one with pajamas. It would be nice to sleep in something besides her awful, tight shorts for a change.<p>

She pulled out a short white nightgown with pencil-thin lace straps. Holding up against herself, she was deligted to find that it might fit, falling to about mid-thigh. Double-checking the door to see if it was closed, she walked back to the bed and pulled off her tattered top. She laid it neatly on the bed before slipping off her shorts, an odd habit she never outgrew. Every time she took something off, she couldn't just toss it to the floor. She reached behind and unhooked the bra she'd been wearing for weeks and sighed in relief upon its removal. As she was pulling the gown down over her head, Ellis walked in the door.

He was like a deer caught in the headlights. He'd caught sight of the side of her breast just before it vanished under the thin white fabric. His eyes helplessly followed the hem as it fell slowly down past her panties and over her hip.

Morgan looked over to see him standing there and gasped. His face went as red as a fire truck and he stumbled back, almost tripping over his own feet. "I didn't see anything!" He lied, holding his hands up over his eyes.

She dashed over and grabbed his arm, pulling him inside before he made a scene and embarrassed himself. Closing the door behind them, she couldn't help but laugh at how hard he was blushing. "It's not a big deal. Nothing more than you would've seen if I was wearing a bathing suit."

"Uhh...yeah, I guess you're right." Ellis replied quietly, averting his gaze as his mind replayed Nick's words from earlier that day. _In other words, you don't have the pair to make the move?_ He shook his head and walked farther into the room away from her. He had a pair all right and that wasn't all. Every nerve in his brain was alerting him to that fact.

Morgan returned to the bed and sat down, picking up the hair brush she'd taken earlier that day from the general store. She carefully undid her short braid before running the brush through her now wavy blonde hair. Though she could feel Ellis watching her, she said nothing.

Ellis sat in the window seat with one leg up to disguise any unwanted attention as he glanced her way. She was the prettiest girl he'd ever seen and couldn't wait to brag to Keith about kissing her. He took off his hat and ran his fingers through his short hair, trying to distract himself from feeling like a voyer. With his leg up, he hadn't noticed that the contents of his pocket had slipped out and fallen to the floor in a little pile.

When she finally felt brave enough to look over, she saw orange squares beneath the window. They stood out like a sore thumb on the white carpet. "Ellis?"

"Yeah?" He looked over.

"You dropped something." She pointed.

Ellis looked down as his eyes widened. His hand went to his pocket, as if hoping that it was somehow just an illisuion. _No! Why did I pick those up? Why didn't I get rid of them by now?_

"Are you okay?" She asked, standing up.

"Fine!" He choked, getting up quickly and grabbing them before she could see.

She raised her eyebrows, not believing him for a second. "You're worrying me..."

He stood up straight, one might even say 'at attention'. "Sorry, I'm just feeling real energized after moving furniture."

Her eyes glanced down, "I'll say."

Ellis turned around at a speed that would've put Jimmy Gibbs Jr. to shame and shook the fabric of his over-alls in a sad attempt to hide what they both knew was there. Morgan put her palm on her face and shook her head as she tried not to laugh. "Calm down, Ellis. I won't tell anyone."

He pressed his forehead against the wall. "If I dropped dead right now, that'd be just fine with me."

"Hey, don't say that." Morgan frowned, coming up behind him and looping her arms around his waist. "I'd be heartbroken if something happened to you."

Closing his eyes, Nick's voice invaded his head once more. _In other words, you don't have the pair to make the move._

"Ellis? I didn't even see what you dropped." She said, trying to make him feel less embarrassed.

It was a small relief but came too late. He turned around as she let go and held out his hand to her. "I picked 'em up in the carnival from the men's room. Don't get any ideas. I didn't have no reason to pick 'em up, I just did."

She took them from his hand and walked over to her bag, putting them inside one of the inner pockets. "Is that all?" She laughed.

"You aren't...mad?"

"Nope."

"Disgusted?"

"Why would I be?" She asked, looking back at him.

"I don't know..."

Morgan laughed and returned to brushing the tangles from her hair. "I'm not any of those things. But I think I should hang onto them before you drop them in front of anyone else. You don't have to sleep on the floor tonight."

"I don't mind, really."

"Ellis, are you going to make me beg?"

He looked up at her, saw the sweet smile on her face. "No, no I wouldn't do that."


	14. The Sacrificial Lamb

The group was woken up the next norning by the sound of a horn blarring all through the building. Kaylee rushed to her window and looked down at the bright yellow school bus parked outside. Coach gave her a wave from the driver's seat and she waved back with a large grin spread across her cheeks. Alan hopped out of the back and jogged up the front steps into the building.

"What did you two do?" Nick asked as he walked outside.

"Me and Alan got up early and walked all the way to the little school up the hill. This town only has one bus and it's ours now!" Coach laughed.

"We have enough gas to get to Texas, I think." Alan smiled, proud of himself.

"I've never been so happy to see a bus in my whole life." Rochelle smirked, folding her arms.

"Don't just stand around, people." Coach called as he got out. "Let's load this up and get the hell away from here."

Ellis, Nick, and Zack went into the kitchen to begin the task of boxing up all the food that was left in the pantry. Rochelle carried out the jugs of filtered water and put them in the back of the bus while Morgan and Kaylee went upstairs to gather up pillows, blankets, and toilet paper. Alan and Coach walked over to a nearby hardware store. The bus was just what they needed, but it had to be more durable. The two of them gathered up some power tools, rolls of chicken wire, nails, sheets of thin metal, and four hard hats.

"Ellis, I've got work for you." Coach said, tossing the young man a drill.

"Whatcha need, Coach?" He smiled.

Alan took off Ellis' hat and replaced it with a bright yellow hard hat. "You said you were a mechanic, right?"

"Yeah."

"We need to make that bus a portable safehouse." Coach pointed.

"Shoot, here I thought you'd be askin' for something hard. C'mon, Zack!"

Zack joined him outside and put on a hardhat as well before picking up the tools Coach brought. Ellis quickly scribbled out a design plan on a sheet of lined paper with a black marker and the two of them got to work. Zack stood on a wooden crate and drilled chicken wire over the outside of the windows, not being trusted with fire. Ellis put on a welding mask and took on the task of making a makeshift plow on the front of the bus. It wasn't exactly pretty to look at, but it was big, sharp, and not something you'd want to meet the business end of. It was secured with a mixture of drilling and welding. A tank might be able to tear it off but hopefully there wouldn't be any crossing the roads any time soon. Once Zack finished applying a chicken wire barrier over the inside of the windshield (So the wipers would still function), the task was finally done. Judging by the position of the sun, it was some time around noon and they were finally ready to head out.

* * *

><p>Alan sat in the seat behind Coach with their road map stretched out in his lap. He had taken a highlighter and traced the road they were on all the way to a small town in Texas called Fridge. It had been a unanimous decision among the group to stay strictly in small towns. If nobody had heard of it before, that was where they went.<p>

Morgan was sitting with Nick at the moment, the two of them locked in on a game of Old Maid. Nick looked her right in the eye's trying to find her tell. There had to be something...a twitch, a nervous glance. She had the old maid and they were down to three cards, two in her hand and one in his.

"Going to pick any time soon?" She smirked.

"Don't rush me."

"Nick, just pick." She laughed.

"Just picking is how people lose this game. Like, Ellis for instance." Nick explained.

"I just had fun playing." Ellis shurgged, leaning over his seat to watch them.

"I know what your scheme is." Nick smiled. "You put the Old Maid on my right-hand side because you knew that if I picked randomly, I'd be more likely to pick the side of my dominant hand. But I am a con-man, Morgs, and I am not that foolish. So because I know that the Old Maid is on the right, I'm going to pick the left." He said confidently, drawing the left card. "Fuck."

"Something wrong?" Morgan laughed.

"Just pick." He replied, shuffling his two cards.

Morgan reached forward and took the card on her left. She laid down her final pair and left Nick with the Old maid. "I win again."

"Best eight out of nine." He replied bitterly, shuffling the cards.

"Oh, I love this song." Rochelle smiled, listening to Kaylee's Zune with her while they each took one ear bud to listen with.

"Me too. I am a sucker for love songs."

Ellis got up from his seat and moved over across from Zack. "Hey, man."

"Yo."

"You look bored."

Zack laughed, "Yeah, I've never been one for road trips."

"I know what you mean."

There was silence between them. Coach continued to drive at a steady pace of about fifty-five miles per hour. They drove past an old grave yard with a large wraught-iron fence.

"My buddy Keith lived in a graveyard once for a whole year." Ellis smiled as it faded behind them.

"Was it a dare?" Zack asked.

"Naw, he just got kicked out of his house. He said he never saw a ghost or nothing except for this one time when a ghost came up and stabbed him from behind and took all his money. He said it might of just been a homeless guy though because he was wearing a robe with two eyes cut out his face."

"He got kicked out of his for a whole year? If you were such good friends, why didn't you let him stay with you?" Zack asked.

"I offered once but he said he was having too much fun." Ellis shrugged. "He is such a crazy dude."

"Getting shanked by homeless men in robes...sounds like a hoot to me."

* * *

><p>As night crept over the bus, they made a short stop to stretch their legs and relieve their bladders. After everyone had piled back inside, Nick took over driving so Coach could get some sleep. Morgan moved up to the front seat next to the door, eyes always watching outside for any signs of trouble. Alan was asleep in his own chair, as well as Rochelle and Kaylee. Both girls leaned against each other as they slept. Morgan didn't know if Ellis and Zack were awake back there, but the silence told her they must be.<p>

"You okay?" Nick asked, glancing at her briefly.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I just have a bad feeling and I can't seem to shake it."

"What kind of bad feeling?"

"It's hard to explain." She replied, pushing up her window. "Like whatever it is we're driving toward isn't good."

"Do you think we should take the freeway?"

"Oh no, it would be better to stick to this route. I like not seeing infected hanging around and I want to keep it that way."

"I couldn't agree with you more." He smiled.

The hours crept by slowly on the endless road. If you watched the trees too long in the darkness, they had a way of hypnotizing you and making you sick. Watching the lines in the center of the road flick by wasn't much better, and Morgan finally settled on watching the stars. They never seemed to move up there in their world of dark silence. Coach would wake up in a few hours to switch off again, nobody comfortable with the idea of parking on the road for the night. Morgan would try and rest when Nick did, if the endless gentle vibrations of the bus didn't lull her to sleep first. She made the mistake of closing her eyes for a moment and was quickly overcome with sleep.

_Ahead of me lies an endless hallway, filled with horrible bright lights. No matter how hard I squint, the pain in my eyes does not subside from the endless barrage of invasive light. Against my better judgement, I move forward down the hall that seems to stretch on for miles. I look down at my arms and see they are not as they were before. The skin is so pale I could lay in the snow and not be seen. My finger nails have faded down to a pale blue color and my palms feel clamy and wet. I keep my head down as I slowly move forward, eyeballs burning with pain._

Morgan snapped awake, whole body jerking up stiffly. She looked around and saw Alan still sound asleep in the next seat, Nick still driving with a bored look on his face. She eased back in her own seat and looked out of the window. It didn't seem like any time had passed at all though surely it must have.

The bus stopped again sometime later as Coach and Nick swapped places. It had been a very long night for those who were awake for it. Morgan laid down and curled up into the fetal position.

* * *

><p>When Morgan awoke again it was because the harsh sun was beating against her eyelids. She sat up and looked out the window to see that the trees had thinned out almost entirely. The world around them was browner now and had more levels than the flat swampy terrain they'd left behind. It was hard to say exactly where they were just yet.<p>

"Hey there, sleepy head." Ellis smiled, peeking around the seat.

She laughed and pulled on her hat. "I feel like I've been sleeping all day."

"Not that long." He shrugged. "Kaylee says it's only one."

"What did I miss?" She asked.

"We crossed into Texas but that's about it. Stopped to fuel up once and shot a couple infected. No more n' a handful."

"I slept through gun fire?" Morgan asked, a little surprised.

"You were tired." He laughed.

"I think I see trouble up ahead." Coach announced, slowing the bus down to about thirty.

There was a blinking sign announcing a mandatory stop ahead. They all recognized the sign. It was placed there by CEDA and as they all moved forward to look, they could see the little blue tents set up with workers moving around in haz-mat suits.

"We aren't stopping." Morgan said firmly.

Coach nodded and pressed down on the gas pedal. Whatever CEDA had been expecting on this road, it certainly wasn't an armored school bus rigged up like a bulldozer. Coach blasted through their barracade like it was a freshman defensive line. Workers scattered in chaos and even fired at the bus.

Everyone moved to the front of the bus in fear as Coach laid rubber between them and CEDA. When an armored white van roared up behind them, they knew trouble was hot on their heels.

"Defense!" Morgan barked, grabbing her shot gun and moving to the back of the bus. Ellis joined her with his hunting rifle and Zack followed as well with a pipe-bomb in hand. Morgan un-latched the back door and it swung open. She and Ellis opened fire. He aimed for the driver's side wind-shield while she did her best to try and take out the tires. But that van had been built to take a hit. After ten rounds, Morgan bent down against the back wall to reload as bullets bounced off the back of the bus from the oncoming van.

"Get back." Zack ordered, activating the pipe bomb and hurling it at the van. It rolled under and exploded, making the vehicle spin for a moment. They gained ground for a few brief seconds but once the driver behind the wheel regained control, it was right back on their ass. Morgan stood again and continued to fire with Ellis, both of them now aiming hopelessly at the bullet-proof windshield.

A masked worker leaned out of the passenger side of the van and fired at the bus, catching Morgan in the neck with a small silver dart. Her eyes rolled back in her head and before Ellis could catch her, she fell forward. The van sped up and turned abruptly as the side door slide open and she tumbled right in.

"Morgan!" Ellis screamed, leaping off toward her.

Zack grabbed on to the back of his shirt and shoulder, yanking him up just as the door to the van slid closed with Morgan inside. Ellis' boots skidded briefly on the asphalt as Zack hauled him up.

"What's happening?" Coach yelled.

"They got Morgan!" Zack yelled back.

"Close the damn door!" Nick braked, shoving his way to the back as the bus rocked at the high speed. Zack obeyed and swung the door shut as Ellis once more slammed himself against it. Kaylee ran after Nick, trying to shove past him. "Morgan! Morgan! No!"

The van slowed down to a hault as Coach continued to speed away.

"We have to go back!" Ellis yelled, trying to get to the front as Zack held onto his arms. "Coach, we have to go back and save her!"

"Don't be stupid, Ellis." Nick spoke harshly. "If we turn around we face an entire camp of heavily armed CEDA workers. We weren't supposed to make it past them, but we did because of her sacri-"

"Don't you say it!" Ellis growled harshly, tears in his eyes. "Don't you call her a sacrifice! She helped us in the woods and at the carnival! She risked her life once to save all of us and I won't let her death be the reason we live! We all live, damn it! Nobody gets left behind!"

Kaylee beat on the back of Nick's jacket with her fists. "Let me past! There is still time! We can go back!"

Nick turned around and grabbed her by the wrists and forced her down into the seat. "Don't let your emotions get you killed!" He turned back to Ellis who was still fuming in Zack's weakening grasp. "Both of you! Do you think Morgan would want this? To die for nothing? We go on as planned! We follow her orders because that is what she would've wanted!"

Zack let go and Ellis dropped to his knees, no more fight left in him. The brim of his hat sheilded his eyes but the tears rolling down his cheeks were unmistakable. "It should've been me..." He spoke quietly. "I should've grabbed her."

Rochelle cupped her hands over her mouth in horror, not wanting to believe that CEDA had so easily torn one of them away in a matter of seconds. "No no no..."

Alan just sat quietly, hands gripping his medical pack tightly. _She can't be gone. Not that easy. CEDA..._

"Everyone just sit down." Coach demanded firmly, hands locked on the steering wheel. "Zack, keep an eye behind us and tell me if you see that damn van coming back."

"Yeah, Coach." Zack replied. He took a seat and watched out the back wndow, white van already gone from sight.

"Ellis, c'mon. Get up." Nick spoke, reaching an arm down.

"Don't touch me." Ellis answered darkly. "You're a cold-hearted monster. Don't fucking touch me."

Kaylee pulled her knees up against her chest and began to cry. Morgan had been there for her for over four years, her best friend. She couldn't accept that she was gone. No, too many people had been torn away from her too soon already.

Nick looked at them both and gave up, moving to a seat by himself in the middle. He rested his elbows on his knees and rubbed the sides of his head with his fingers. This whole day had gone to hell in the worst way. But he refused to lose anyone else.

* * *

><p>Morgan's head had a heartbeat all its own when she woke up only minutes later. Her hand instinctivly moved to the spot on her neck where it felt like a wasp had stung her, but she felt no dart. Suddenly, two hands were on her and she screamed. The unknown person forced her to the floor of the van and jerked her hands together, slapping on a pair of handcuffs.<p>

"Are you immune?" The male voice asked.

"Yes." She choked, cheek sore from where it was pressed against the floor.

"She says she is immune." The voice spoke.

"Proceed as planned. Test sample C." Another voice, this time female, replied over what sounded like a speaker built into the wall of the van.

"Affirmitive." The man answered. He grabbed her by the neck and pulled her up into a sitting position. "Hold still."

Before she could ask questions, a needle was thrust into her arm. He had injected her with something. She yelled out again and he drew out the needle. He moved away, possibly toward the speaker. "Sample C injected."

"Wait for signs and reply to me then." She spoke firmly.

The van which had been dark before suddenly filled with harsh white light. She saw him now. He wasn't wearing a haz-mat suit like the others they had seen by the road. Instead he wore an all white outfit that she quickly realized was nothing more than a long white lab coat over white pants and a white shirt. Her whole body was shaking as she held his gaze with her own.

"Just hold still. It will only take a moment more if it works." He said, mouth covered up by a white doctor's mask like those she had seen in her old dentist's office. His eyes were cold and mean.

She felt the change coming that he must've been talking about. Her eyes began to feel sore as the light seemed to grow brighter around her. She squinted for a few seconds before closing her eyes all together in attempt to get the light out of her eyes.

His shoes echoed on the metal floor as he turned around to call the woman again. He pressed a button but there was only silence. The woman must have stepped away for a moment. Morgan worked her wrist from side to side in the cuffs, feeling her small wrist begin to slip free. As she folded her hand together, the left cuff fell off entirely.

Before he could press the button a second time, she wrapped the small chain of the cuffs around his neck and pulled tight with both ends until he went limp and fell to the floor. She opened her eyes again, tolerating the pain of the brightness as she felt his neck for a pulse. No pulse came.

The van slowled to a stop and she heard doors open outside as the two men in front got out. She crawled on her hands and knees into the corner as they approached. When they slid back the heavy door and looked inside, she took her chance and jumped at them, empty syringe in her hand. The first one she stabbed repeatidly in his exposed neck as he fell to the ground with her on top of him.

"Shit!" The other screamed, turning and running back toward the open passenger side door. Morgan jerked up her head and saw him with her sore eyes and pushed with all her might with her back legs, finding it very easy to spring on them now like a pouncing lion. He slammed against the door and she grabbed him by the back of his hair, beating his head into the ground until he stopped jerking beneath her.

She pulled herself up into the van from the open door and closed it behind her quietly. Morgan popped open the glove compartment and found a pair of sunglasses. She sighed in relief and slipped them on over eyes. With the pain subsiding, she continued to hunt around. The documents she removed were not the registration she had been expecting to find.

**Test Sample C (Hunter Virus)**

As she read through the thick folder of papers, she found out more than she wanted to know. Apparently, she had been injected with an experimental strain of the Hunter virus, one that they were trying to infect immune people with. Her hands began to shake so violently that she could no longer read the paper. She set the folder down on the seat next to her and looked through the glove box again. Taking out a pack of cigarettes, she lit one and sucked on it for a moment, coughing harshly for the first few drags. Eventually her shaking had mostly subsided and she left the cig hanging in her lips as she picked up the folder again.

The people who took her had been stopping everyone that passed and testing the new strain on them. All their notes pointed to the effects of it only being temporary with some people only suffering from a mild condition for about twenty minutes before signs of it were gone entirely.

She flipped a few pages. When those given the disease were blood tested several days later, they gave back negative results of having the disease at all. This put Morgan's heart at ease for the moment though it was hard to ignore the dull burning in her eyes.

After closing the glove box, she stuffed the cigarettes into her pocket along with a lighter and slid the thick folder under her arm. She left the van and began to walk in the direction she hopped the others had continued on, flicking an ash before continuing to drag on the smoke. The thought had never occured to her to drive the van after them but it was probably for the best that she didn't.

Morgan had no weapons, no food, and no hope for survival on her own in the increasingly more unbearable Texas heat. But she had her hat and her new sunglasses shielding her eyes from the sun and at the moment, that was all she cared about.


	15. Now It's Personal

Coach parked the bus on the shoulder hours after the kidnapping had passed. There had been no sign from CEDA and their tank was nearly empty. It was impossible to tell how far they were from Fridge but there were still a few gas cans left. However, Coach decided that stopping for a little while might be better for all of them.

"Everyone get out and walk around a bit." Coach spoke as he stood up. He reached over and unfolded the doors but only Zack and Nick got up and stepped let out a sigh. "Come on, you need to move."

Rochelle stood up and Alan got up with her, neither of them looking at Coach when they exited the vehicle.

"Now I'm the bad guy." He frowned. "You think I wanted to leave her?"

"You didn't make no effort to do anything but leave her." Ellis spat.

"What did you want me to do? Slam on the brakes and attack them?"

"There was seven of us against two maybe three of them!" He yelled as he stood up. "We could've saved her and you know it! You're a coward!"

"I'm only looking out for the safety of everyone!" Coach yelled back defensivly.

Ellis got right up in Coach's face. "If that was true, she would be here right now."

"Ellis-"

"It's too late for apologizing." Ellis replied coldly as he pushed past and walked outside.

Kaylee was still sitting with her legs pulled up to her chest, eyes vacantly staring out the window. "She would've gone back for any of us..."

Once outside, Ellis walked away on his own. He kept replaying the scene in his head, seeing her fall over and over. He could have grabbed her! He could have dropped his damn gun and saved her! Looking up, he saw Nick and Zack talking while Nick pointed at something in the distance. He looked back at the bus to see Coach walking out after Kaylee. Alan and Rochelle had walked over to the front of the bus to inspect where they thought the dozer was coming loose.

Ellis had to go back, and this might be his only chance. His rifle was still on his back, and it would be the only protection he needed. But they were already hours away from where they lost the van and that was by bus. If he tried to run or even walk that far, he'd never reach her. at least, not for days. _Am I really giving up before I even try?_ He asked himself.

He began to walk back in the direction they had come. It was now that he remembered the smell of her soft hair as she snuggled up against him only two nights ago. He had held her in his arms, kissed her lips, and had almost gotten up the courage to say he liked her a whole lot. Maybe even more than a lot...and now...she was gone.

Instead of being sad, he got angry. He didn't want to waste valuable time being sad any longer. He would kill every son of a bitch that came between him and her. He jogged back to the bus and got in the driver's seat himself. Everyone but him was outside the bus and they all had weapons with them, so he figured they'd be fine for a little while. He threw the bus in reverse and peeled out before anyone could stop him.

"Ellis!" Coach yelled, chasing after the bus for a few feet. "Get your ass back here!"

"If helicopters don't come back when you yell at them, what makes you think buses do?" Nick asked as he walked over.

"I can't believe that crazy son of a bitch would leave us!" Coached huffed, resting his hands on his knees.

Kaylee laughed and jumped up and down, "Go, Ellis, go!"

Nick smiled and shook his head, "He'll be back. Let's all just stay calm. It shouldn't take him more than a few hours to give up and come back."

* * *

><p>The drone of two motorcycles cut through the dry silence like a knife through butter. Morgan lifted her head and looked to her side where the road connected with another from the north. She could barely make out the two black blurs in the distance but they would catch up to her fast. Looking down at her arms, she saw they were sun burned, but still her normal flesh color. The sunglasses would hide anything wrong with her eyes for now, so hopefully she wouldn't be mistaken for infected. <em>Am I infected? Am I dangerous?<em>

As the blurs took on the shape of motorcycles, she turned to face them and held out her thumb.

The bikers slowed to a stop a few feet from her. She looked them over, finding it to be quite the sight indeed. The man on the left looked like a grizzled vietnam vetran and when he stopped the bike, a black man in a nice shirt and tie got off the back. The man on the right got off his bike as well, standing over six feet tall. He had a leather vest and broad shoulders with full arm tattoos all the way to his neck. He stepped forward, short brown beard moving as his lips turned into a jeer.

"You infected?" He asked.

"Do I look infected?" Morgan replied, not exactly lying.

"Easy, Francis." The old vet said as he got off his bike. "How old are you, girl?"

"Nineteen."

"What are you doing all the way out here by yourself?" The man in the tie asked. She liked him already, as he seemed like a bit of a goofball by the tone of his voice.

"Would you believe I'm just hanging out?" Morgan smiled.

This brought a small smile to the old man's face, "Not for a second."

"I was kidnapped by CEDA and taken from my group." Morgan replied, holding out the folder to him. "They went on ahead without me. Here; if you trusted CEDA before you won't any longer."

The old soldier took the file and opened it, flipping through a few pages. The man in the tie looked over his shoulder. Francis walked over to her and held out a canteen. "Here, you might not be infected but you look like you could really use a drink."

"Thank you." Morgan smiled. She twisted off the cap and poured a drink into her mouth to avoid spreading germs.

"No problem. That's Bill and Louis. I'm Francis." He replied, holding out a gloved hand.

Morgan shook hands with him."I'm Morgan."

"I knew they were up to no good." Bill said, handing the rest of the file to Louis. "You said there are more survivors ahead?"

"Thats right." She nodded. "We have a bus full of food and ammunition. Would you let me lead you to them before they get too far away?"

"A bus?" Francis asked.

"A big metal thing filled with seats." Morgan explained, holding her hands apart.

"I know what a bus is!" He barked.

"You aren't trying to lead us into danger are you?" Bill asked.

"I know how much a young girl without any protection looks like a decoy, but no. I am no trap. I am just very very unlucky." Morgan sighed, squinting beneath her sunglasses.

"Francis, let her get on back with you. We'll drive for a few miles and see if we find any bus." Bill ordered.

"I hate buses." He answered, mounting his bike. "Well, come on already."

Morgan climbed onto the back of Francis' motorcycle and pointed in the direction she thought the group had continued down. Bill pulled out first (with Louis on back) and Francis followed. She wrapped her hands around his waist, her hat hanging off the back of her neck by the thin cord attached to it on both sides. She pressed her forehead against the black leather of his vest, just happy to have that awful sun out of her eyes.

* * *

><p>Rochelle picked up a stick and drew four fresh lines in the sand. "X's or O's this time, Kaylee?"<p>

Kaylee sat cross-legged on the ground with her, a stick in her hand as well. "I'm feeling X's this time."

"How can you two just sit there and play tick-tac-toe?" Zack asked as he walked over. "We are stranded in the middle of nowhere!"

"Easy." Rochelle smiled, "We use these sticks to draw in the sand."

"That isn't what I meant and you know it."

"Look." Rochelle said firmly, "You need to learn the importance of team work. You always try and do everything by yourself like some big macho man. When Ellis gets back, we won't have anything to worry about."

"And what if he doesn't come back? What then?" Zack asked.

"Then we die in the desert." Nick answered, coming up behind them. "Couldn't figure that out?"

"I don't know which is worse," Zack complained, "The infected, the heat, or all you people."

Kaylee rolled her eyes as he walked away. "I swear, he never grew up for a second after graduation."

"What are you gals doing?" Nick asked.

"Tick-tac-toe." Rochelle replied, drawing an 'O'.

"I'll play winner." He spoke, watching them with his hands in his pockets.

* * *

><p>As Ellis drove down the road in his stolen bus, he tried to formulate a plan as good as one that Morgan would've come up with. He chewed on his bottom lip in frustration, wondering what she did that made it look so easy. <em>When I see the van, I'll run it over! Except...what if she is inside? Damnit! Think, Ellis, think!<em>

The side mirrors jiggled as the bus rocked over each divit in the street and bounced along each pothole. In his eyes was a look of determination as he steered with both hands gripping the wheel so hard his knuckles threatened to explode out of the tops of his hands.

He was going so fast that he almost didn't see the two motorcycles as they zoomed past in the other lane. He glanced at them as they sped by. A big biker dude and some weird army man with a tech support guy. For a moment he almost thought he saw a girl with them, but they were out of sight just as quickly as he was.

"I think we just passed your bus." Francis said loudly over the roar of the engines. "Did yours look like a bull dozer?"

Morgan's head shot up and she looked back at the yellow blur fading into the distance. "Shit."

The motorcyclists hit the brakes. "You think he saw us?" Bill asked.

"It must've been going at least seventy. There's no way." Louis spoke up.

Francis let out a long sigh and revved up the bike. "This is bull shit."

Ellis slammed on the brakes hard when he approached the van. It was stopped on the side of the road with the driver's side door hanging open ominously. As much as he didn't like the looks of it, Ellis got out of the bus and walked toward the van with his rifle in his hands.

"Em?" He called, but no answer.

He walked around to the other side slowly and gasped when he saw the three dead CEDA workers. The masked man was hanging halfway out of the back door, eyes bulging out in a dead stare. There were deep marks on his neck where he'd been strangled with a small chain. The other two were on the ground, one with a needle hanging out of his mangled neck and the other was face down in a pool of blood. Ellis' hands shook as he shined his light into the van, fearing he'd find Morgan dead inside. Nothing.

Ellis walked back to the front of the van and looked inside the driver's side. The glove compartment was open but the only thing inside were a few napkins and a pistol. If Morgan escaped whatever happened here, then where was she?

He lifted his head when the sound of engines cut through the silence of the afternoon air. The motorcyles came up fast but did a much better job of slowing down than he did. It was the same bikers he passed earlier. Were they looking for a fight?

"Hey, you in the hat." Francis pointed at Ellis. "Does this belong to you?"

Ellis watched the biker stand up and behind him sat Morgan, just how she looked hours before but with sunglasses on. He ran over and pulled her off the bike and into his arms, swinging her around once. "Morgan! I thought you were dead! Aw man!"

After holding him tight for amoment, she forced space between them. "Ellis...where is everyone else?"

"Huh?"

"Ellis! The 6 other people that were traveling with us!"

"Oh! I left 'em back there to come rescue you." He smiled.

"For the love of-" Francis growled.

"You left them out in the desert?" Morgan yelled. "What were you thinking?"

"I'm sorry..." He frowned, feeling like a puppy that had been kicked in the face.

"Ellis...I'm sorry. I know you were just worried about me. I'm sorry." She held her head with her hands, the pain in her eyes deepening even with the sunglasses on now. "Ellis, this is Bill, Louis, and Francis. I promised them supplies if they helped me get back to you."

Ellis walked over and shook hands with Francis, "I can't thank you enough for saving her from the van."

"Van? You mean that one?" Francis pointed. "We didn't do that."

"Then-"

"Ellis, we should really get back to the others before they die of heat stroke." Morgan interrupted.

"You're right." Ellis nodded, "Louis, if you wanna ride in the bus with us back, you are more'n wlecome to."

"That sounds great. My lack of ass makes riding that damn thing about as much fun as getting a root canal." Louis smiled, climbing into the bus.

Morgan got in after Louis and took a seat, closing her eyes. The pain in them was horrendous and she didn't know how much longer she could hide it. Ellis got in last after thanking Francis and Bill again and drove back in the direction of everyone else.

* * *

><p>Nick was sitting on a fallen log wearing nothing but his white suit pants. A small gold chain hung limply over his slightly hairy chest as he wiped a few beads of sweat from his forehead with the back of his arm. "I'm going to kill him. I'm going to kill him with my bare hands."<p>

"No need to be getting crazy. He's only been gone about two hours." Coach said, walking past to have another look around.

"I can't take it any more." Kaylee announced, grabbing the bottom of her shirt to pull it off over her head.

"Oh no you don't." Rochelle said, yanking it back down.

"Maybe the heat isn't so bad after all." Nick smirked.

"Dude, she's only eighteen." Alan said. He was sitting next to him with his hoodie off as well.

"That's legal."

"You could be her father!"

"I'm not -that- old." Nick growled.

"Wait, do you hear that?" Alan asked, perking up.

Nick stood up to see the wavy blur of a yellow bus as it approached quickly. There was noise coming from behind it as well, and he expected to see that damn van at any second. As the bus drew closer, the shapes behind it came into view and the group looked on in confusion at the two motorcycles.

Everyone crowded around the doors as Ellis jumped out with Louis behind him. Before introductions could be made, Morgan stepped into the doorway and was tackled by Kaylee. The two girls fell out of the bus and into the dirt as Kaylee rolled her onto the ground into the most forceful hug she had ever recieved. After Ellis and Zack pryed Kaylee off, Morgan stood up with a smile on her face and brushed herself off.

"Morgan, I-" Coach began.

"No no." She held up a hand. "You did exactly as I would've wanted. But I will say this...you'll have to try a lot harder than that to get rid of me."

They laughed and Morgan stepped to the side. "Everyone, this is Bill, Louis, and Francis. Boys, this is Coach, Ellis, Kaylee, Rochelle, Alan, Nick, and Zack."

"Good to meet you." Bill said, shaking hands with Coach. "Your friend shared some interesting stuff with us about CEDA and my group has decided to help your cause any way we can."

"What did you find?" Coach asked, turning to Morgan.

Louis stepped forward and handed Coach the folder of papers. "Here. This is what she gave us."

Coach read through it while everyone stood by patiently. "This...this ain't no good. We need more of this. More evidence. We have to spread the word to anyone left."

"That could take a long time." Alan spoke, "Maybe too long. We'd never reach everyone left alive who might still believe in CEDA."

"Not if we split up." Bill said, lighting up a cigarette. "I can take my team in another direction and see if we can't spread word of CEDA's corruption."

"We'd have to stay in touch." Morgan said.

"I have an idea." Coach said, closing the folder. "Kaylee, bring out the map."

After everyone had gotten a drink and cooled off, they all made a big circle in the road and spread out their map. "Our group is headed here, to Fridge." Coach pointed. "Bill, if you take your team north to Angus and find everything you can, we can all meet up again in thirty days here, in Austin."

"Are you sure you want to go to a big city?" Morgan asked.

"If CEDA hasn't hit them yet, they can spread the word faster." Coach explained. "If the city is lost I'd rather have more people on our side with guns when we go through."

"That sounds like a plan." Bill nodded. "I'm not letting some crazy scientists destroy the country I've fought my whole damn life for."

"So CEDA is infecting people on purpose?" Francis asked. "I hate CEDA!"

Rochelle smiled at his comment, admiring the way his broad shoulders filled out that dumb leather vest.

"Coach, why don't we let them ride with us to the next town we come to? They can get a better mode of transportation for this big job." Morgan offered.

"That is a fine plan. We have plenty of room. Bill?" Coach replied.

"I'd be a fool to say no. We've had it rough since we lost Zoey a few weeks ago."

Kaylee frowned, "I'm sorry to hear that. What happened to her?"

"A tank tossed her into a closet where a Witch was hiding. It was...horrible." Louis replied, shaking his head.

Kaylee frozed up at the mention of Witches and remained quiet while the others continued to discuss. _Witches in closets. That could've been me...if I hadn't closed the closet quickly..._

* * *

><p>That night as Coach drove the bus, everyone in the group felt more at ease than before. Morgan and Ellis took the very last seat in the back, away from the others. He leaned his back against the window and she curled up against his chest with her legs between his.<p>

"Morgan, you still have those shades on." He spoke quietly.

"Yes, I know." She smiled.

"You don't want to take them off?"

"No..."

Ellis frowned, "Em, they didn't hurt you...did they?"

"Ellis..."

"Tell me the truth. I can handle it."

"No, I don't think you could..."

He put his hand under her chin and gently lifted her head. With his other hand he slid off her dark glasses and looked down at her eyes in the dim light of the bus. Her once deep blue eyes had faded down like bleached jeans and were now almost entirely gray with large black pupils. His breath caught in his throat.

"They shot me with their experimental disease." She replied so quiet only he would hear. "They want to find an infection that works on people who are immune..."

"You're...infected?" He asked, not wanting to believe it even though it was literally staring him in the face.

"No. At least, not entirely. Only my eyes hurt and in a few days, it should clear up. The folder says it all."

"It will. I know it will."

She reached for her sunglasses back but he pulled them away. "No, not yet. I'll give them back later on. Right now, I want to just look at your face. I almost never got to see it again...I...I like you...a whole lot."

Morgan smiled and scooted up, kissing him softly on the lips. "I love you too."


	16. The Face of CEDA

_The following CEDA lab does not represent the entire group as a whole. I apologize for any confusion._

* * *

><p><strong>CEDA Labratory 17. Post 113, Texas.<strong>

Roxanne Desmond was a very busy woman who did not take kindly to bad news. She sat behind a wide desk made of reflective metal. Her pale elbows rested on it as her carefully manicured hands rubbed her temples in frustration. She had bright red hair that she wore pulled back into a tidy bun. Black frammed glasses rested on the bridge of her slender nose, the light bouncing off the lenses making it difficult to see her fierce green eyes. Beneath the desk, her legs were crossed tightly and she wore a form-fitting black pencil skirt with an equally snug black blouse.

Van eight in her sector had not responded all day after administering a sample of her valuable Hunter virus, her _expensive_ Hunter virus.

"Ms. Desmond?"

She looked up from under her thick black eye lashes. It was one of those annoying little peons from the camp where her van went missing.

"You have my attention." She growled.

He tugged at his collar nervously,"We uh...we found van eight."

"Get to the point."

"It was a massacre. All three are dead, Miss."

She slammed her hands on the desk hard enough to send her cup of pens crashing to the floor. Her long red nails clicked against the desk as she drummed them. "For your sake, I hope you have good news." She hissed.

"Y-yes! We recovered the dart that tranquilized the missing subject." He replied. "We have a DNA record and for now, we are calling her Subject 13."

"I suppose you came here in hopes I would give you funding of some measure to find this Subject 13?"

"Judging by the damage at the scene, she looks too valuable to just be released-"

"Get to the point! Give me facts!"

He flinched out of habit and quickly collected himself. "She is using tools. That's the first sign-"

"Tools? What tools?"

"Her victims show signs of strangulation with a pair of handcuffs and stab wounds from an empty syringe."

"I see." Roxanne smirked darkly, leaning back in her chair. "My virus finally found a host with the right amount of tolerence..."

"Which is why I want your authorization to use...well...your..."

"Stop with the mumbling! Tell me what you want from me to get my precious little 13 back."

"Permission to use T-16 and S-11."

Roxanne turned around in her chair and looked through the tremendous window behind her. The view below was that of the ruins of the city of Dallas. Everything was either burned or burning at this point, save the area behind the towering white fence that marked the perimeter of the building she worked from.

"T-16 and S-11...You realize you are asking quite a lot for one little subject...one who might have already overcome the infection." She spoke, pressing the tips of her fingers together, clicking the nails like a metronome.

"I wouldn't ask if I didn't think it the only way. There are at least seven other people with her, all armed. Their defenses are raised now."

"What are the chances of simply finding another person capable of handling the virus?"

"About a million to one."

She furrowed her eyebrows. "Fine. You know I am not a patient woman. I expect them returned in perfect condition."

"Thank you, Ms. Desmond." He bowed. "You won't regret it."

Howard Bell jogged out of her office and down the shockingly white hallway to the elevators on the far wall. His coworker Stanly Grayson was waiting, just like they planned.

"What did she say?" Stanly asked. He was a pale and lanky man with short black hair and pale blue eyes.

"She gave us authorization for both." Howard grinned, proud of himself. He was chubbier than his friend with messy brown hair and brown eyes.

"Even T-16?"

"Yes! Let's get down there. Still have the dart?" Howard asked.

"Yeah." Stanly nodded, holding up a clear glass box with the small silver dart inside.

They stepped into the elevator and rode in satisfied silence all the way to the basement some twenty floors below. When they stepped out, it was like walking into a minimalist hospital. There was too much white on the walls and floors, everything with the overwhelming smell of disinfectant. They walked side-by-side down the wide corridors, finally stopping in front of two metal doors. Beside was a code-pad to unlock the doors and a small sign labled: **Roxanne's Wing**.

Stanly punched in a code and then slid his ID card through the slot. The doors opened with a swoosh of cold air. As they walked, large windows into seperate testing rooms could be seen. A scientist in a haz-mat suit was injecting a struggling survivor with a syringe much like the ones used in the van. The poor man jerked and spasmed as he muscled rapidly grew in his arms and torso. The glass was soundproof but his screams were still visable. In a matter of moments, he took on the grotesque image of what CEDA called a Tank. A red light flashed on the ceiling of the room and the scientist in the haz-mat suit shot him with a dart the size of a football.

"Another failed Tank." Howard pointed as they passed.

"We really should have a better method for getting rid of crap that doesn't work." Stanley sighed. "You'd think by now we'd know better than to just dump our waste onto the ground."

Howard shrugged, "Failed infected aren't like radioactive sludge. They die on their own eventually and kill some infected before they kick the bucket."

"They kill immune people too. Roxanne's methods are horrible. The immune people we need for this damn project are getting killed by all the garbage that is left over from our failures."

"I'd keep it down if I were you." Howard warned. "Or you might be chosen next for injections."

At the end of the hall, the men unlocked a second door. This room was similar than the last except for a few key details. Only two of the nearly twenty rooms were filled and there were no scientists inside. They stopped at the first door they came to. There was an intercome built into the wall. Howard walked up and held down on the speak button while Stanly walked up to the window. Inside was a man on a weight bench, bench pressing what looks like over four hundred pounds. He had an upper body like that of a man on steroids, with powerful arms and legs. He had a strong square jaw with small but violent gray eyes. His hair was white and crew cut like an army general but it was hard to pin point his age with his size.

"T-16. You've been given an assignment." Howard spoke.

T-16 set down the weights and sat up, looking out the window. "Work for T-16? What work? I crush tiny lab man if he joke!"

"Easy, friend." Howard smiled. "It is a bounty hunt. You'll be working with S-11-"

"I do not like S-11! He says things I do not understand!"

"If you want to stay here and let him get all the glory..."

"No! I want glory too!"

"I was hoping you'd say that. Put on a shirt, big guy." Howard replied.

T-16 stood up and grabbed the large white wife-beater that had been made especially for him. He pulled it on and walked to the door to be let out. The rest of his outfit consisted only of a pair of jeans, as shoes no longer fit.

Howard unlocked the wide door and T-16 stepped out. He was easily over 7 feet tall and loomed over them like the thundering oaf he was.

The two men and their soldier walked over to the next room. Through the window, Stanly watched the tall and slim figure pace nervously around his cell. This man had tan skin and long black hair that hung over one side of his face. The one eye that was visible was the same pale gray and surrounded by thick black eyeliner. His clothing was as dark as his hair, with tight-fitting ebony jeans and a leather jacket with no shirt beneath it. A cigarette hung in his teeth as smoke billowed out of the space between his lips. S-11 looked up before Howard even hit the speak button.

"Hello again. You'be been chosen for a very important find and retrieve mission." Howard told him.

"Isss that sso?" S-11 grinned, dark gray smoke seeping out of his mouth. "Go on."

"A young girl that recieved the Hunter virus escaped capture. We have her DNA for tracking but we need her back alive. I cannot stress this enough."

"I assssume I am to keep an eye on the brute?" S-11 said with a cough.

"Yes." Howard answered seriously. "I can have the two of you sent to her last known location by tonight."

S-11 walked up to the glass and looked down at Stanly's nervous expression. "Hello, Ssstanley." He cackled, running his dark tongue along the glass in front of the man's face.

"Howard, make him stop that." Stanly choked.

"S-11, if you can't take this mission seriously-"

"Oh, husssh. Old habitsss and all that. I accept your fool'ssss errand."

* * *

><p>The Dozer (as Ellis had taken to calling the bus) sat parked outside the Super 8 motel. Infected corpses laid strewn about on the ground all the way to the office where the group had blasted their way through for room keys. A fly buzzed over the glassy lifeless eye of a n infected that had been pushed over the railing of the second story rooms. All eleven of the survivors had taken rooms on the second floor overlooking the parking lot in case there was a need for a quick escape.<p>

Morgan stood alone in the bathroom leaning over the musty white sink. She had lit a candle that had been taken from the office to illuminate the small space. Her gray eyes gazed back at her as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. Since she had first seen them herself the night before, her pupils had gone back to their normal size. It was a relief that she took to mean the infection was wearing off.

Her hands twitched slightly at the fingers, something they never used to do. It was like an itch that wasn't particularly itchy. If anything, it only felt like she suddenly had more nerves in her hands. Running them slowly along the basin, her mind could feel each little chip and divet with a clarity that hadn't been there before.

Clutching her hair in her hands, she pulled her blonde locks into a neat but loose braid that fell over her shoulder. Had her hair always been so soft? She found herself wanting to touch everything to see how it felt now with this strange sensation in her hands.

"Morgan, you alright in there?" Ellis asked from the other side of the door.

She jumped and dropped her braid in surprise and turned around. "Yes, I'm alright. Just...trying to braid my damn hair." She chuckled.

He laughed, "No rush. I was just making sure."

She heard him walk away from the door. His voice had pulled her back to reality and the tingling in her hands was absent for now. Picking up the candle, she opened the door and walked back into the room she shared with him. There were two single beds, one occupied with his body as he laid in the dark. She could see him in the dim glow of her candle as the light flickered, casting shadows on the far wall of her own form. He turned his head and looked over at her and it was then that she noticed his chest was bare. The baggy material of his over-all pants covered his legs but the shadow by the bed told her he had taken off his boots.

"What's wrong?"

"Huh?" Morgan squeaked.

"Yer just standing there staring at me..." He frowned.

"Was I?" She laughed. "I'm sorry. I feel so absent-minded tonight."

He sat up, curling the muscles in his stomach that she imagined he'd gotten from swinging so many bats, axes, and crow bars. "Do you feel sick?"

"Oh no...no." She assured, setting down her candle on the night stand by his bed.

"Do you need anything?"

"I'm okay. You just relax." Morgan smiled. She walked back into the shadow on the other side of the room and he heard her going through her bag for her sleeping shirt. He laid back down, unable to see very far past the light of the candle anyway. He closed his eyes, feeling the start of sleep creeping up on him.

His eyes snapped open when the bed shifted beneath him. He felt something moving on all fours at the foot of the bed. Then he smelled it...the sweet vanilla of her skin. He didn't know what she had been doing to smell like vanilla but he wasn't complaining at all. She crawled over him slowly, her hands running along his arms and pinning them to the bed. His heart began to pound in his chest when her lips grazed his neck. As she pressed in to kiss him, he felt the bare skin of her chest against his.

"Are you going to make me beg?" She whispered, slipping something small and square into his open palm.

"No..." Ellis replied quietly, swallowing a lump in his throat. "No, I wouldn't do that."

* * *

><p>Bill was having trouble sleeping that night, though it wasn't out of the ordinary for him to have insomnia. He spread out the wide road map he picked up in the office across the small table in his hotel room. His eyes scanned it intently as he spread his fingers across it. Francis was sitting at the table as well, with his beefy arms folded over the edge of it.<p>

"We saw something like this before." Francis spoke, "I remember."

"Zoey pointed it out." Bill nodded, "Wall writing about CEDA giving out injections."

"I think we were in...Michigan. That dumb-looking state." Francis pointed.

"I assumed it was about a cure but now I'm not so sure." Bill commented, rubbing his chin.

"Not so sure? We have written proof they're killing people on purpose." Francis scoffed.

"I hate to say it, but you're right." Bill chuckled. "Well, we part ways tomorrow so we should try and get some sleep."

"About that. There's only three of us and eight of them. Do you think some of them will come with us?"

"I think that is up to them."


	17. We Have Hope

She waited for him to fall asleep that night and it didn't take long. He was out cold, and she knew not even a Tank outside the door would be able to wake him. The manic itching was back in her hands but also in her ears as well, which was far more annoying. It hit Morgan's brain like a steady vibration as she stumbled across the room, packing her things in the darkness.

_I'm infected. I can't keep telling myself it will just go away. The others...if they knew...it would be a mess. And Kaylee...no, she would be heart broken. Ellis will tell them, I know he will. He will tell them I left because I didn't want them to see me die from this. What am I doing?_

She sat on the floor and held her head as it pounded in frustration and pain. _Every thing is wrong...CEDA might've been bad at stopping the spread but they couldn't be causing it too. No, something is very very wrong...think about the van...the people inside..._

Knowing she would not be able to find the answers to her questions here, she stood up quietly and pulled her bag over her shoulder. Her cowboy hat she left on the bed beside Ellis.

_How much time do I have left? Days or hours? Weeks or seconds?_ She shook her head and closed the door quietly behind her. _He cared about you and you took advantage of him and for what...fun?_

Forcing the thoughts away, she paused in front of Kaylee's room. She had no paper to write a note and it was too dark to write one now anyway. Leaving with nothing felt too wrong, even now when she was having a hard time judging anything. She knocked on the door.

"Morgan?" Kaylee asked quietly, rubbing her eye.

"I have to go."

"What?"

"Kaylee, there is something wrong and I have to go." Morgan spoke, tears welling up in her eyes.

Kaylee grabbed her arms, "Morgan, tell me what is wrong."

"The people in the van injected me with something..."

"CEDA?"

"No! No, not CEDA. That isn't CEDA." Morgan yelled, squirming in her friend's grasp.

"Morgan, what did they inject you with? The thing called Hunter virus?"

"Yes...I am dying from it. I didn't want you to know." She cried. "But it isn't going away...I can't let everyone see me die from this."

"You aren't going to die. You're fine. The virus doesn't work, the folder said so. Morgan, look at me."

"No, I have to leave while it is still dark."

Kaylee paused in confusion. The sun was already rising in the distance and there was more than enough light to see. She put her hand under her friend's chin and lifted her head. "Are you...Morgan, are you blind?"

They stared at each other for a moment, only one of them able to look into the other's eyes.

"I have to go." Morgan whispered.

"No, no I can't let you go like this." Kaylee shook her head.

"I would never find peace if I knew I let you watch me decompose before your eyes."

"Don't talk like that! You aren't dying!" Kaylee yelled. "You're just sick!"

Their fighting had woken Rochelle. She walked up to them in confusion. "What's going on?"

"The people calling themselves CEDA injected Morgan with whatever that stuff was." Kaylee explained, still holding on to one of Morgan's arms. "And she's sick."

"Infected sick?" Rochelle asked warily.

"No, it isn't the infection. She is immune to it just like the rest of us."

"Is it serious, sweetie?" Rochelle asked, touching Morgan's shoulder.

"Let me go!" Morgan screamed, pushing them away. "I can't stay here and risk hurting you! Let me do the right thing! Let me leave!"

The commotion caused other doors to open. Nick, Zack, Alan, and Coach all emerged in various sleeping attire looking upset about the rude awakening.

"What the hell is going on out here?" Nick asked bitterly.

"Morgan is sick." Kaylee spoke.

"Stop telling everyone!" Morgan begged, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I thought I could trust you..."

"I just want to help you." Kaylee frowned, stepping forward.

"You can't fix this." Morgan said as she began to back away. "You just need to escape before those maniacs come after you too."

"Maniacs? What is going on?" Alan asked, tooth brush in hand.

Morgan backed up against the railing, mind racing. Her hands were shaking like faulty machinery that was about to go hay wire. She could feel their eyes on her, and imagined the looks on their faces. It was too much.

"Morgan? Calm down-" Nick said as he grabbed her arm.

She yelped in fear and grabbed his forearm, jerking it up and away from her. He yelled out in pain but nothing had been broken. She let go and pushed past Coach, barely slipping out of his grasp when he too tried to grab on to her. The virus was in her brain now, she could feel it crawling around inside her skull like millions of ants. Of course, it could've just been her imagination. Before she reached the railing, she turned and ran down the walkway toward the stairs either on blind instinct or some kind of sixth sense.

"Stop her!" Kaylee yelled as she ran after her.

Nick rubbed his arm with a grimace on his face. "I'm too old for this shit."

Rochelle ran after her with Zack on her tail and Alan picked up the rear. Coach leaned over the railing and watched them as they chased her across the nearly empty parking lot. "What the hell is going on this morning?" He sighed, looking over at Nick.

"Something bad, that's for sure. I think we'll have to shoot her."

"What?"

"Didn't you hear them? She's infected with something and I sure as hell don't want it."

It was then that Louis walked out with Bill. "I hate to interrupt you, but I found something interesting in this file."

Coached turned around, "What do you mean by interesting?"

"There are some papers in here that aren't related to their experiment at all." Louis explained, pulling them out. "It's like, a diary or something, kept by one of the people who was in the van."

"I doubt a man would call it a diary." Nick said, leaning over to read.

"It's a bit long but what I got from it is that they aren't CEDA, at least not anymore. The woman in charge of their division is a bit...uh..."

"Off her rocker." Bill spoke, lighting up.

"Yeah." Louis nodded. "She cut off all ties with the rest of the organization and she is trying to turn people into mutants or something. The guy's handwriting isn't very good."

"So...what, like a copy-cat killer type thing?" Nick asked. "It walks like CEDA and talks like CEDA but isn't?"

"Yeah, I guess you could put it like that." Louis shrugged. "It hasn't been going on very long. Lots of people want to leave but she has them staying out of fear."

"What people?" Coach asked.

"The employees. Apparently, when things got bad and the infection kept spreading...she went bonkers."

"People who go nuts trying to help people don't go around turning them into monsters." Nick scoffed.

"That's just it though!" Louis exclaimed, "She thinks that she is helping them. But it's terrible...a few people are just as crazy as her and some are just thrilled at how far science goes, but they are using live people as guinea pigs."

"We have to shut down that facility." Coach said.

"The guy didn't mention where it was." Louis frowned. "But if he's right and enough people want to revolt...maybe we can just give them the little push to do it."

Bill stepped forward."I'm taking my group back to the road block you mentioned. If they won't revolt, we'll kill the suckers."

"Did he say anything about a cure?" Nick asked, looking down at the parking lot. Morgan had apparently crawled under the bus because everyone was kneeling around holding hands out.

"He mentioned some things he'd seen...but..."

"But what?" Nick asked, looking back.

"If people with this particular virus don't overcome it within a few hours, it takes over brain functions. He says it makes their nerves go crazy, mostly in their hands. Then they go blind and then..."

"They die." Coach finished.

"Yes." Louis frowned. "There are two other types of viruses that he mentioned. They're trying to re-create the types of infected we've seen and make walking-talking-functioning human versions. People with the smoker virus produce a smoke-like substance from their lungs but it kills them pretty fast. There is a tank type too. They get really muscular like big body builders, but eventually their own weight crushes their organs."

"We have to stop this." Nick said firmly, "Before anyone else gets hurt. And here I thought the infection was bad enough."

"We need to contact CEDA." Bill said, "The real CEDA and the military and the President, wherever the hell he is. If this isn't a national emergency then I don't know what is."

"And how are we supposed to do that?" Coach asked, "Pick up our phones and just dial up the White house like we all have the number?"

"There has to be a way. Isn't there a big military base in Nevada?" Bill asked.

"You mean area 51?" Nick laughed. "Maybe we can get help from aliens too."

"I'm sure there is one around here." Louis said. "If we can find someway to radio them, then maybe we have a chance. They can bomb the whole damn facility."

"Dropping bombs...ending wars the good ol' fashioned way." Bill chuckled.

"This could be the end of America." Louis frowned. "But I can accept that if it means we stop this before it spreads to other countries."

"It isn't up to us to stop it." Nick spoke firmly. "It's up to us to survive. We aren't super heroes flying around in capes bringing world peace. We are eleven, soon to be ten, people from average lives in average cities just trying to get through each day without getting our teeth kicked in by sickly people with bad tempers."

"Good morning, everyone!" Ellis smiled cheerfully as he walked out to where the men were still gathered by the rooms. They all stopped talking and looked over at him, unsure of how to respond to his happiness. "Why's everyone staring at me?" He asked, checking to see if his fly was down. It wasn't.

There was a scream from the parking lot and they all looked down to see Zack and Alan dragging Morgan out from under the bus by her ankles. She clawed at the ground with her hands, anger on her face.

"What the hell...?" Ellis murmured.

"Son, I got some bad news to break to you." Coach said, walking over and putting an arm around his shoulder.

* * *

><p>An hour later, they were on the move again. Bill's group had taken a car from the parking lot and driven it back toward the road block, intending to meet up with them later if they could. The plan was to either revolt the corrupt scientists or find the military, whichever came first. Morgan was tied up and sat in the back of the bus with duct tape over her mouth. They returned her sunglasses to her as her last demand and she sat in angry silence. She had insisted on having her hands bound for their safety and the tape was to keep her from yelling, as she was having trouble controlling her random outbursts.<p>

Everyone knew her days were numbered.

"There has to be a way to reverse it." Kaylee spoke from where she sat beside Nick. "I mean...that would make sense, right? People who get sick can get better. We have cures for polio and rabies and plenty of other stuff!"

"We don't even know what it is." Nick replied. "There might not even be a name for it."

"Thanks for giving me hope." She pouted, looking away from him.

"I'm not going to tell you she will be fine because if she isn't you'll hate me." He replied.

"Her hearing still works." Ellis said with a sneer from the seat across the aisle. "You don't gotta talk about her like she ain't even here. She was fine last night and she'll be fine by tomorrow just you watch."

"Ellis..." Nick sighed.

"No, you just watch. You'll eat your words, Nick."

"All right, Ellis."

Ellis settled back into his seat, hands resting on her cowboy hat in his lap. He hadn't accepted that she could die. She was tough as nails, maybe even tougher than Keith.

"It looks like we're heading into a storm." Rochelle said, pointing at the dark clouds looming over head.

"Gonna be a hard rain." Coach nodded from the driver's seat. "If it gets bad I'll pull over, but it isn't even drizzling yet."

"You think she'll react bad to thunder like the infected do?" Ellis asked.

"I don't know, boy. But it'd be best to keep an eye on her." Coach replied.

Ellis turned around and looked at her. She looked like she was watching out the window but he knew she couldn't really see anything they passed. He wondered what she was thinking about...if she was planning her escape or...making peace with the word. Slowly, he turned back around and slumped down in his seat. _Did she use me last night on account of thinking she was going to die?_

With the first roll of thunder, the group got their answer. Morgan yelled against the tape, producing a sad hum. She squirmed in her seat, trying to get out of the ropes around her hands. She pounded her balled fists on the back of the seat in anger as she kicked her legs.

"Don't go back there unless she falls over." Coach ordered. "I don't need her twisting anyone else's arm."

"Okay, Coach." Ellis nodded.

Morgan seemed to calm down slowly as the sound dissipated, but her sun glasses had fallen off in her tantrum. Her eyes were pale and empty like a doll's as she stared vacantly at the floor. It was hard to tell how much of her was still thinking. Did she even know where she was? Ellis got up even though Coach said not to. He picked up her sunglasses and held them out like a peace offering. She remained still, sensing his presence.

"I'm gonna put these back on you, okay? Just giving you back your glasses."

"Ellis, be careful." Rochelle frowned.

Morgan made no hostile movements, only sat still as he approached. He slipped them slowly onto her face.

"There, that wasn't so bad." He smiled.

Thunder clapped again and she jerked, smacking her forehead hard against his loud enough to make a cracking noise. He fell backwards as she continued to flail in anger.

"Ellis!" Nick stood up.

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" Ellis cursed, standing up as a fresh goose egg swelled up on his head.

"Damn it all!" Nick scoffed. "Are we seriously keeping her with us? If she gets out of those things, we're all dead!"

"She won't hurt any of us on purpose." Kaylee glared. "She is going to get better, Nick, and then you'll be sorry you ever mentioned leaving her behind."

"Does anyone on here honestly believe that chick is going to make a miraculous recovery?" Nick asked, "Anyone at all?"

"Hey, Nick." Zack spoke up. "Shut up."

Kaylee looked over at Zack, a little surprised.

"Look," Zack continued. "I know things look really bad, okay? I know. We all know. You are not the only one on here who doesn't think she'll make it. But we have something you don't, and that's hope. We hope things will work out in our favor for once in our miserable lives and we hope that as long as we stick together, we will make it through this. Most importantly, we hope that this infection will go away, not just in her, but in everyone who suffers from it. We have hope, Nick, and if you don't fine, but keep it to yourself."

Nick said nothing in response as Zack sat back down in a huff.

Kaylee got up from her seat and moved back by Morgan, sitting in the seat across from her. "Morgan?"

She turned her head toward Kaylee's voice.

"Morgan, if you're still in there and you can understand me...can you give me some kind of sign?"

A silence fell over the bus as curious eyes and ears waited for a sign of hope from the infected girl in the back.

"Mmmrff." Morgan spoke against the tape.

Kaylee leaned forward and slowly peeled back the silver tape from her friend's lips. "Go ahead...if you can."

Morgan hung her head as she sucked in a few slow breaths, her lips dry. The only one who wasn't looking at her was Coach, but that was only because he was driving.

Her voice came out quietly at first as she found her voice from somewhere in the dark emptiness of her mind, but grew a little louder with each word.

"You are my...sun shine...my only sun...shine...you make me happy...when skies are...gray...you'll...ne...ver know...dear...how much I...love you...please don't take...my...sun shine...away..."

Heat lightening flashed across the sky, a sign of the rain yet to come. Thunder echoed once more and Morgan began to shake, curling up against the window. She did not speak again for quite some time.


	18. Wild Goose Chase

Ellis had never really liked canned fruit. Once in a while, he'd take an apple or peach with him in his lunch for work. But when Dave had come in with a can of fruit cocktail in his lunch, Ellis was so grossed out by what it looked like he had almost vomited all over the garage floor. Grapes were never meant to be canned, he had thought. It made them look like cow snot.

This was what he was remembering when he pulled back the lid on the small can of preserved fruit. It didn't look the same at all now. Now it looked wonderful, little bits of sweet cherries, pears, and peaches floating in tangy juice. He was sitting in the last seat on the bus with his back pressed against the window, keeping an eye on Morgan. He brought the can to his lips and sipped, savoring the flavor.

The bus was parked at a fuel station, stars illuminating the night sky. Outside the road was still glittering with water from the storm that had since passed. Rochelle was asleep, leaning uncomfortably against the cold window leaving fog beside her mouth as she breathed. Ellis looked out of the wet glass of the emergency door as Nick walked by, doing a check of the tires while Coach and Zack went to find gas. He wasn't sure where Kaylee and Alan were but figured they were close by. He used a plastic fork to stab a little red cherry. When he looked up again to check on Morgan, he saw that she was taking off her sunglasses.

"You okay there?" He asked.

She tossed them to the floor.

I wonder if she is hungry? Ellis thought, looking down at his half-eaten can of fruit. As much as he wanted to eat the rest of it, he wanted her to feel better more. He leaned forward in his seat and set it on the empty space in hers.

Morgan remained still as he moved. When he placed the food in front of her, she picked it up in both hands since they were bound together still. She sniffed it and set it back down with a gentleness he had not been expecting. He watched her pick out the bits of pear one by one and eat them, leaving the other fruits behind. When the pears were gone, she scooted the can away and turned her body toward the window.

Nick stepped back up into the bus and walked back to Ellis. "Here, I got you something." He smiled, tossing Ellis a Slim Jim.

"Thanks." Ellis grinned, already tearing into it.

Nick looked over at Morgan, then at the can. "She eating?"

"A little bit." Ellis replied as he chewed. "She only ate the pears."

"Huh..." He shrugged, sitting down in the seat in front of hers. He opened a Slim Jim for himself and took a bite. "I'm sorry about what I said earlier, about saying she was going to die."

"You were just saying what we were all thinking."

"She seems calm though, and that isn't what I was expecting."

"She's still human, Nick." Ellis frowned. "She's just trapped in there and we need to help her back out."

"She isn't in a coma, Ellis. She is infected with an experimental virus."

"It could wear off, right? That's what I think will happen. Then she'll pop you on the head and say she could hear you the whole time."

Nick laughed, "When that happens, I'll accept it. I want her to be okay, Ellis, even though it might not seem like it. I don't want anyone to die."

"I know." Ellis replied, looking down at his feet. "None of us do."

"Come on, let's go for a little walk and get you some air." Nick said as he stood up. "She'll be fine for ten minutes."

"All right." Ellis agreed.

Morgan listened to their feet as they walked to the front of the bus and felt the vehicle shift as they got off. Rochelle's light snoring was the only other noise inside and she knew she was alone. She stood up and walked down the aisle, hands touching each seat as she did so. She stopped beneath the emergency exit on the roof of the bus and got up on the empty seat. Her pale hands felt along the ridges of the escape and brushed against the lever. She gripped onto it and pushed the direction to release it. In a matter of moments, she had pushed the entire square door back and had crawled up through the opening. It slid back into place after she disappeared. Her silhouette could not be seen from the ground as it was far too dark and nobody would be looking up there anyway. Morgan stayed on her hands and knees as she perched up in this new place, taking in lung fulls of crisp night air.

* * *

><p>"She'll be fine for ten minutes." Ellis spoke sarcastically after making the discovery she was gone. "Well then where is she, Nick?"<p>

"Don't get mad at me!" Nick yelled. "She hadn't moved for hours. How was I supposed to know she would just get up and leave?"

"Anything that can go wrong, will." Alan sighed, looking under the seats.

"This is what she wanted." Kaylee sniffed, "She said she wanted to do the right thing and leave so we wouldn't have to watch her die."

"When did she say that?" Zack asked.

"Early yesterday morning when we first found out. You know how a dog will run away when it knows it is about to die? I think th-that's what s-she did." Kaylee replied, suddenly gasping as she tried to fight off a cry.

Zack wrapped his arms around her and she buried her face into his chest, still trying not to cry.

"No!" Ellis spoke up loudly. "That ain't what is happening now." He grabbed his gun and turned on the light. "I'm goin to go look for her. Drive away if you want because I'm not coming back until I find her."

"I'm going with you." Nick said, turning on the light to his own gun. "It looks like we are on the outskirts of a town. She might of gone that way."

"If you're going, then we're all going." Coach said, taking his shot gun off his back.

Morgan was asleep by this point, curled up like a cat in a sun beam up on the roof of the bus.

* * *

><p>"Ho-ly shit." Ellis spoke grimly as they all stood slack-jawed at the city limit sign. Beyond them was the smoldering waste land of an unknown town. The buildings were intact but obviously unlivable. Smoke rose from the hoods of crashed cars, filling the sky overhead with a black veil. Infected swarmed the streets, their numbers greater than that the group had ever seen before. Most did not move, but this was common. The area here was quiet and they shuffled around with dulled senses.<p>

"I don't think she came through here." Nick whispered.

"If she did, she might not have alerted them. She's real quiet." Rochelle replied quietly.

"I don't care how bad it looks." Kaylee spoke, holding up her rifle. "I'm going to find her."

"Just be careful and try not to make any loud-" Nick warned.

Kaylee fired her gun and blew the head off a zombie that was standing on a balcony over the street. Its dead body plummeted to the ground below and smashed in the roof of the car below it, setting off a high-pitched and very loud car alarm. Hundreds of pale heads shot around in the groups direction, blood-soaked and swollen lips stretching into inhuman roars of anguish.

"WHAT THE FUCK DID I JUST SAY?" Nick yelled at the top of his lungs, cocking his shot gun in anger.

The horde ran toward them, climbing over cars and benches with the intent to destroy the fleshy noise-makers.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry!" Kaylee screamed, firing her gun rapidly.

Coach fired, holding his firm stance as the group slowly made an arch of defense. Zombies were blown back, sometimes in pieces as the swarm steadily increased. Ellis ran out of shots and began to swing at the infected that tried to grab him, smashing out decaying teeth with the butt of his gun. Rochelle splintered the skull of some poor infected man, using her foot to kick him off and get her axe free. Now matter how many they killed, more and more seemed to come and the group was quickly being surrounded.

A car was hurled through the air, sweeping away an entire section of zombies as it bounced across the asphalt dangerously close to the survivors. The tank could be seen seconds later as it thundered toward them with two chargers behind it. Ellis ran behind a nearby mailbox and hastily reloaded his gun, hands trembling slightly.

Alan pulled out a fresh jar of Boomer bile and stepped to the front of the group. He loaded the can into the empty grenade launcher he picked up from the back of an abandoned truck while they had still been at the gas station and aimed at the tank. He squeezed the trigger and the jar hurdled over the crowd of infected and shattered against the Tank's chest as it continued to barrel toward them. The Charger's behind the Tank were quickly enraged, and tackled the Tank to the ground. Their over-grown calloused fists pounded at the monster in relentless rage as the infected that were swarming the group quickly turned their anger on the smelly mass of muscle. Nick took the opportunity to take the Molotov off his belt and light it with his lucky river boat casino lighter. He tossed it with all his might and soon the mosh pit of infected was set a blaze. The two men exchanged high-fives.

"That is how you do it!" Nick laughed.

Alan pet his new gun. "I like this thing. I think I'll keep it as a bile launcher."

Coach looked at the burning pile ahead of them. "How many do you think that was?"

"Too many." Rochelle sighed, swiping her arm across her forehead.

"Amen." Coach nodded, catching his breath.

"Let's keep going." Ellis said as he stepped in front.

"Are you serious?" Nick asked, "After we almost got turned into a smear on the road, you want to go in farther?"

"You said you didn't want anyone to die." Ellis replied, folding his arms.

"I don't, which is why I don't think we should go through their any farther."

"But what if Morgan is somewhere in there?" Kaylee frowned, looking at Nick with sad eyes. "She is all I have left in the world. Haven't you ever loved anyone?"

"What about me?" Zack spoke up. "Right here. Totally left in the world."

Kaylee ignored him and continued to look at Nick wide-eyed, her bottom lip slowly wibbling in sadness.

"Fine, just stop crying." Nick huffed. "You're like my ex wife."

"We will look for an hour." Coach said, "If we don't find anything then we are going back."

"Oh thank you!" Kaylee grinned, wrapping her arms around Nick's waist. "I promise not to shoot without a command again."

"Uh...okay, good. Yeah." Nick stammered.

Zack rolled his eyes as he reloaded his gun.

For a while, it seemed like they had cleared out most of the infected. As they approached a large shopping mall, the gurgling sound Alan had come to fear made them stop dead in their tracks. "There" Alan pointed.

They all walked up to the windows of the mall and looked inside where both male and female Boomers were lurching around the abandoned food court.

"You know it is sad to see an eating disorder get out of control like that." Nick said.

"I've never seen so many of them in one place." Rochelle gasped, hardly believing her eyes.

"Looks like the mall back home." Kaylee giggled.

"You think she went in there?" Ellis asked.

"I hate malls, so my vote is no." Nick replied.

"They might have a Men's warehouse." Kaylee added.

"We can do a quick check." Nick decided, walking away from the window. "But from a different entrance."

"There might be an alarm." Zack spoke up as they all paused again in front of the next entrance.

"That window is already broken." Alan pointed, "So my guess is no alarm over there."

"The door inside could still have one." Rochelle said.

"Still it's worth checking out." Nick replied as he disappeared.

"I don't think he is looking for Morgan at all." Coach said with a knowing smile. "He just wants a new suit."

"Whatever gets him in the door." Kaylee shrugged.

They hit a lucky break when the inside door that led into the mall didn't have a working alarm, but were dismayed to see that the infection problem was just as significant here though not as bad as out in the streets. To avoid alerting all the infected at once, everyone pulled out whatever they had to smash the zombies into paste. It was messier, but smarter. Nick walked over to the mall directory, suit covered in all kinds of unwanted stains. "We want to check the second floor."

"Why?" Ellis asked, looking over his shoulder. "What's on the second floor?"

"Build a teddy. Make her a little stuffed bear, Ellis. That way, when we find her, you can show her how much you care. Maybe they have little overalls and trucker hats. It would be perfect." Nick laughed.

"Naw, that place is overpriced." Ellis replied.

Nick hit his forehead with his palm. "You're right, what was I thinking?"

"Half of us can go up." Kaylee suggested, "And the rest of us can keep looking down here."

"Great idea." Nick clapped, "I'll go up."

"I will too." Ellis said, "Ro, wanna come with?"

"Sure, sweetie. Let's go kill some zombies."

Coach waited to make sure they made it safely up the escalator before walking with his group around the corner. "Man I could go for a pizza right now." He sighed as they walked past the Boomer infested food court. "Roll it up and eat it sub style."

"You're making me hungry." Alan frowned.

"What's up with you and Nick?" Zack asked as Coach and Alan continued on ahead.

"What?"

"Don't play dumb. I can see something there."

"Maybe you just want to see something there." Kaylee raised an eyebrow at him. "Is now the time? We are kind of busy in case you forgot."

"Is this a maturity thing?" He asked, walking after her. "Wanting the security of an older man? Or is it because he is dangerous? I heard him saying he wasn't legally allowed to own a gun..."

"It sounds like you're the one with the crush on him." She smiled, leaving him behind.

"That is stupid and impossible." He grumbled, picking up the pace.

"Just like anything between you and me. Now focus and help me find Morgan."

"Fine."

Nick led the group upstairs almost immediately to the Men's store he'd seen on the directory below. There were a few infected laying around inside like homeless drifters, but all the suits on the wall were in perfect condition. Nick drew them out of the store by whistling and waving his arms. Once they passed the frame of the door, Ellis fired from the side and blew them away with one shot.

"We'll catch up to you in a few minutes, Nick." Rochelle laughed, looking around for signs of their missing friend.

"A few minutes is all I need." Nick grinned, running inside like a kid in a candy store.

* * *

><p>Headlights approached quickly on the high way as the bus sat all alone at the gas station. It slowed to a halt a few feet away and two men stepped out cautiously. They wore cowboy boots and Wrangler jeans, each man with a rifle in his hands. The man driving passed in front of the glow of the headlights, illuminating a face recovering from burns. His bare arms seemed to be made up of the same white grotesque burns, none very fresh. He had shaggy black hair stuffed under a trucker cap with the same tow-truck emblem that Ellis wore.<p>

"Dave, check this out." The man smiled, pointing at the emergency door on the back of the bus.

The other man joined him, face and arms free of scars. He had a farmer's tan and short dirty-blonde hair. "Shoot, someone just done left all their supplies. You think they're nearby?"

"If they are, we better move fast in taken' it."

"Keith, we can't take a whole bus." Dave replied.

"I don't mean the whole bus, stupid! Let's just jack all their junk. They might already be dead fer all we know."

"Well all right. I'll pull the truck up."

* * *

><p>When they met up again about forty minutes later, everyone but Nick was covered with fresh infected mess. Kaylee flicked an eyeball off Zack's shoulder as they sat down in the now empty food court. Nick was admiring his new white suit, a second shopping bag beside him.<p>

"You know, there is nothing stopping you guys from getting clean clothes." Nick offered.

"I got some clean underwear at Veronica's Secret but that's all I really needed." Rochelle sighed.

"So nobody found any clues?" Kaylee frowned. "Nothing at all?"

"To be honest, I wasn't sure what to keep an eye out for besides the ropes we had on her wrists." Coach admitted.

"We're just going to go back and...leave?" Kaylee asked.

"We can't keep looking around forever." Rochelle replied. "If she went in the other direction, who knows how far she has gotten by now. And we have to remember she was sick."

"Let's just go." Kaylee spoke, voice cracking.

Nick reached into his bag and handed Kaylee a stuffed bear in a little white suit. "Uh, here. Take it."

She looked at it in surprise as he held it out to her, his face a mixture of embarrassment and care. She took it from his hand and held it close, remembering the stuffed toys she had had for so long back at her old house. "Thank you."

Zack glared at Nick, not caring what the man's intent was for giving her a bear even if he was just trying to make her feel better.

"When did you make that?" Coach asked.

"We all made one." Ellis replied, holding up a bear of his own in blue overalls.

Rochelle sighed and took a bear in jeans and a pink shirt out of her underwear bag. "I couldn't resist, okay? I used to have a bear as a kid and they were both making one."

Coach laughed, much to everyone's surprise. "You made 'em look like you. That's funny. Let's get going though. We've wasted enough time."

"I haven't given up yet." Ellis said as they walked out through the same broken window. "I bet we'll find her on the way back and I'll give her Jimmy Gibbs Jr. Jr. and she'll love it so much she'll feel better again."


	19. Going Through Hell

I want to give a quick thank you to all my readers. I've been listening to suggestions as I get them, and many things you want are things I've been trying (and failing) to bring for a while now. From here on out, expect more from me character wise as I am always raising the bar I try to strive for. Enjoy the chapter I wanted to call _"Action! Adventure! Peril! Sorrow!"_ but found a bit too comical for what certainly isn't a comical addition to this ever-growing tale. -Paradoxygen.

* * *

><p>"Okay, honestly." Coach huffed, slipping new shells into his shot gun. "Where the hell are these things coming from?"<p>

Once they had left the mall, it seemed like all the zombies they had killed on the way in had come back to life and with more friends. The sky over head was still dark with a biting chill that stung the lungs a little more with each breath. Kaylee let out a large sigh as she pulled a pipe bomb off her belt.

"I was saving this..." She grumbled, giving it a toss after activating it.

It cut through the darkness, red light flickering as hundreds of beady eyes watched it arch above them. They were like cats after a red laser on the wall, only much angrier and with much more blood. Infected nearby ran after the beacon, pushing each other out of the way to be the first to get its grimy fingers around the cylinder. One lucky zombie had been standing in front of where it landed and flopped onto it with the desire of a football player going after a fumble. It seized it in its clumsy hands, blood shot eyes wide with fury as it brought the thing to its mouth to silence it. The infected that had chased it across the pavement piled onto the first zombie and seconds later, the skies rained with the chunkiest confetti the world had ever seen.

"Gave 'em all blue eyes, Kaylee!" Ellis clapped, pulling out his gun.

"Huh?" Kaylee looked at him in confusion.

"One blew this way and one blew that way!" Ellis pointed with a laugh.

Nick rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Smite me now."

"Let's keep moving." Coach ordered, leading the way.

Rochelle felt like it was Black Friday. Her shopping bag was hanging on her elbow as she fired into the mob with her rifle. In her head, she coped with the fear by pretending it as such. _Here comes Florence, grabbing that last set of pink decorative towels that she __knows __I saw first. _She thought to herself as she unloaded several rounds into the bloated body of an infected woman that had been running toward her. "Try and take my sale again, Bitch!"

Nick and Zack both looked over at her with disturbed looks on their faces. She didn't notice, and continued to run as she 'got to those sales'.

"There's too many of them!" Alan called out, doing his best with his pistol.

"Cut through this building!" Nick yelled over the barrage of gun fire.

Coach kicked the worn wooden door hard enough to splinter away a large section. He reached his arm through the hole and unlocked the door. "Everyone inside!"

That wasn't an instruction you had to gives these survivors a second time. With everyone piled in, Coach slammed the door shut. "Nick, Help me." He ordered, moving over the coffee table.

"Barricade, gotcha." Nick nodded, helping the man prop it against the door.

"Gimmie some more heavy stuff." Coach wheezed.

Rochelle pushed the couch forward with Zack's help. Alan added a nearby hat rack and Coach gave Kaylee a stern look when she offered Zack to him.

"This ain't no time for joking." He scolded.

"But I was serious." Kaylee replied.

"Let's find a way out that avoids the main road." Nick spoke up.

There was a pounding against the door as the alerted infected beat against it, trying to force their way in. Their makeshift barricade wouldn't hold long. Kaylee lead the way through the living room and into the dark kitchen. There was an overwhelming smell of spoiled food coming from the fridge, milk and eggs in particular but there was defiantly meat in the mix. She held her nose and walked quickly into what she imagined was a dining room. She stopped dead in her tracks when quiet sobs permeated through the room.

"Shit, lights off." Zack whispered, clicking his off. When Kaylee still hadn't turned hers off or even moved, he was concerned. "Baby Doll?"

Her whole body seemed frozen in fear and he had to reach down and click her light off, leaving the group in pitch black darkness.

"I don't like this..." Rochelle spoke, panic in her voice.

"It sounds muffled. She must be in a closet." Alan spoke.

His remark sent Kaylee into a full blown panic attack. _Witch in the closet. _She dropped her gun, whole body shaking more violently than Morgan's hands had. "No no no no..."

"Baby do-"

"DON'T OPEN THE CLOSET!" She screamed, falling to her knees.

The Witch yelled in response, a door somewhere in the dark room flying open. The Witch's nails scrapped against the wall as she launched forward. Nick saw the flash of her red eyes and threw himself over Kaylee's whimpering body, his arms holding her head down as his back shielded her own. The Witch's talons bore down into the flesh of his back, destroying his new suit and spraying dark red blood over the surrounding walls. He bellowed in pain, arms around her in a protective embrace.

Coach flicked his light black on, first catching the horrified face of Zack as its beam burst to life. He pointed down and saw the witches pale skeletal body as she ravaged Nick's back. He fired into the back of the monster's head and that was enough to stop her. She fell to the ground beside Nick and Kaylee, only making Kaylee scream more as she starred into the dying eyes of the bitch from her worst dreams. Nick's hands were pale and twitching as he slowly pulled himself away, only barely managing to give her a few inches to crawl away.

All the flash lights were on now as Alan tore into his med pack, the beating on the door getting more and more persistent. Coach pulled off Nick's jacket, or rather what was left of it, and then quickly pulled off the mangled shirt underneath. He'd never seen so much blood. Nick choked, causing his whole body to flinch in burning pain. Alan took out his spray bottle of antiseptic and all the gauze he had. After a few sprays, Alan felt like an asshole. Nick was writhing in pain as the disinfectant soaked all the way to the raw muscle that showed in a few small places.

Kaylee had pulled herself together if only a little by this point. Her hands seemed glued to her mouth as she cupped her lips, looking at Nick with sad horror. "Nick...Oh God, Nick, why? Why?" She cried.

"You...asked if I ...Augh...Ever loved anything." He answered through gritted teeth. "I did. You...reminded me of her...fucking fucker!" He yelled as Alan quickly wound gauze around his torso. "From when I was a kid, okay?"

"Come on, Alan." Coach frowned, "We got to move."

"I'm going as fast as I can!" Alan defended, fear in his own face. "I'm a medic not Jesus so back the fuck off!"

Ellis was turned around, watching the door. The hat rack fell away and hit the wood floor with a crash enough to make everyone jump in panic.

"Nick, can you stand?" Rochelle asked, big brown eyes wide with sadness.

"Yeah, Sweetheart." He panted, "Just give me a minute." He held his breath and slowly tried to stand, legs threatening to give out. He grabbed the wall and cursed.

"He's lost a lot of blood, we can't ask him to walk let alone run." Alan sneered, moving over to Nick's side.

"The infected are going to kill all of us if we don't find another way out of here and fast." Coach barked.

"You better not leave me behind." Nick laughed, coughing again and holding his gut as the pain shot through his spine and into his brain.

"Zack, open that door." Coach said, walking over to Nick. "I got a good feeling that's a back door."

Zack jogged over and opened the door, revealing a narrow alley that indeed led outside.

"Come here, Suit." Coach grumbled, grabbing onto Nick's shoulders. He hefted the wounded man up over his shoulder in a fireman's hold. "Let's go! Alan, hold my gun!"

The medic did as he was told. Ellis and Zack jumped out first, each firing in a different direction to clear the alley of infected. Light burst from the barrel of Ellis' rifle, illuminating his shielded face with dark shadows. "All clear this way."

"This way is all clear." Zack reported after Ellis.

Coach remained in the middle of the group, having no way to defend himself while he was holding Nick. His bad knee was giving him signals that he had no business having this much weight on him but he ignored it. They went left to avoid the road.

Kaylee felt awful, and swore to herself that she would make up for all the terrible trouble she had caused this mission. Too many people had been protecting her, wether it was from a direct attack or her own emotions. A Boomer wandered dumbly into the patch in front of them and she fired her rifle with enough rage the bullet could've come from her own mouth and none would question it. The bubbling creature exploded like a water balloon against a brick wall and she ran forward as its remains were still raining down. This was why she didn't bother with clean clothes.

They were quickly approaching the city limit sign, and it was only about a mile back to the bus if they didn't get lost. Things were quiet for the moment and Coach sat Nick down by a tree to catch his breath. His forehead was slick with sweat as well as his shirt, heart pounding like he'd been working out.

"I'd kill for a cold glass of sweet tea." He panted, trying to be humorous even if that did sound like exactly what he needed.

"How about scotch?" Alan offered, rooting through his pack.

"I'll take the scotch." Nick moaned.

Alan unscrewed the flask and handed it to Nick, who could only barely bring it to his lips. He took a long swig and coughed again. "Ah, that's what the doctor ordered."

"Zack, help me hold these off." Rochelle spoke, pointing at the small crowd of infected that had followed them down the alley. He picked up his gun, still taking in large breaths from the run.

"I'm going ahead." Coach panted, hands on his knees. "To get the bus and bring it around."

"Good idea." Kaylee nodded, sitting down beside Nick. "I'll stay here and defend him."

Alan stood up after Nick gave the scotch back. "Let me come with you, just in case."

"Ellis, coming or staying?" Coach asked.

"I reckon I should stay here with Nick."

"Stay safe, we'll be back before you miss us." Coach nodded to them. He and Alan jogged toward the direction they left the bus.

"Nick, don't fall asleep now." Ellis warned as Nick closed his eyes.

"Try and stay awake." Kaylee urged, taking his hand and holding it on her lap. "Tell me about the girl to keep you awake."

"There isn't much to tell." Nick replied, pain on his face. "In my school days before I was shooting pool, I would shoot marbles. I was good at it too. I think by the end of that year, I had enough marbles to fill a kiddie pool. There's was this girl in my grade. I hardly remember her face now but she had short blonde hair." He explained.

"Nick the Marble shark." Ellis smiled.

Nick grinned as best he could, "Yeah I guess like that. Well this girl, she loved Cat's eye marbles and I would always give her the cat's eye marbles I won. It was a childhood crush. Well one day I gave her this one marble, with all these bright colors like orange and green and blue, all swirled into a cat's eye in the middle. She was so happy to get it...that she kissed me." Nick explained, voice growing quiet.

Kaylee squeezed his hand. "Nick, wake up."

He muttered something but couldn't keep his eyes open. His skin was pale, darkness creeping over his eyelids.

* * *

><p>Coach and Alan paused for a quick breath after they had made it nearly halfway to where they thought they parked the bus. "I think I'm going to puke." Coached moaned.<p>

"Just take it easy, we are almost there. We can walk for a bit."

A hiss welled up from somewhere in the woods, a sound they had not heard before.

"What the hell was that?" Coach spoke as he straightened up and looked around.

"It sounded like someone about to spit..." Alan said with questioning in his voice.

A bubbling green liquid shot through the trees and splashed against Coach's arm as it landed beside him and pooled on the ground, grass dissolving in its acidic wake. The skin on his arm began to burn and melt away as well. Coach yelled out as he swiped away what he could with his gloved hand, leaving behind a small section of charred skin.

"Aw man what the fuck?"

Alan gasped and pointed as the new infected stepped out of the trees. Her neck had doubled past the normal length, large gaping mouth hanging open as the green acid bubbled in her wide throat. She wore short ripped shorts and a shirt that only barely supported two long, banana shaped tits. It was easily the most disturbing thing either man had ever seen.

Coach aimed his shot gun and fired by the Spitter was two quick, moving behind a tree. Both men were facing the direction she disappeared, unaware that the real threat was coming up behind them.

"Damn it, where'd she go?" Coach barked, still holding his gun steady.

The short fits of manic laughter were their only warning before the slippery jockey mounted Coach's shoulders and drove him down to his knees in the still fuming pool of acid. It quickly burned through his pants and attacked his exposed skin. He screamed in pain as he tried to shake the little cretin before it forced his face down into the spit.

Alan only had a pistol and a med pack and his aim wasn't good enough to try and shoot the Jockey off. Instead he did as Morgan had done before and grabbed the infected by its bony shoulders and pulled back with all his strength, trying to pry him off. The Spitter returned as the men struggled and spit again, dousing Alan's back with burning Acid. It burned into his hoodie, but the thicker material was being eaten away slower than Coach's khakis.

Both of the men's combined efforts were finally enough and Alan fell to his back with the Jockey struggling in Alan's arms. Coach raised his gun and beat down on the Jockey's stomach with the butt, causing Alan to flinch slightly as well. The Jockey fell limp as his innards were bludgeoned and Alan tossed him off. Now his back was beginning to tingle.

"Oh fuck, that Spitting thing got me."

Coach saw the bushes nearby russle as the slippery whore tried to line up another attack. This time when he fired, he didn't miss. The female thing yelled out as it died. Coach looked down at his arm, hot blood seeping out past the burned skin. "Yeah me too. We better hurry to that bus."

Alan nodded and then continued on, forcing their bodies to move faster.

* * *

><p>"Nick!" Kaylee yelled, slapping him hard on the cheek.<p>

His eyes opened and he winced in pain.

She sighed in relief but looked up as Rochelle and Zack came up quickly. "They broke through the house." Rochelle spoke quickly, fumbling her words. "Too many of them."

Ellis stood up, cocking his gun. "How much time do we got?"

"I don't know, ten seconds?" Zack guessed.

Kaylee stood up, gun in hands. "We make our stand here. Hold them back until Coach arrives with the bus."

The small group exchanged nods and made a tight circle around Nick. The horde poured in from the narrow alley and the surrounding road, all of them angry. Their cold black eyes shone under the light of the moon as pale, blood covered hands reached forward. Kaylee fired the first shot with countless more echoing from her sides. Row by row the monsters fell, corpses slowing the ones behind them if only briefly.

From a nearby window, a slimy pink tongue shot down and wrapped around Rochelle, pulling her up at a rate so fast they almost missed it. It was dangerous now to tear their eyes away from the horde to try and shoot her down. Kaylee paused to reload and saw that Rochelle was high off the ground now, too high. If they shot the tongue, she'd break her legs...or her neck. Kaylee shoved the rounds in with panicked force, trying to make a decision between shooting the Smoker or shooting at the horde. Ellis and Zack couldn't hold back the tide forever.

Rochelle squirmed in terror, hands clutching the vile tongue as it tried to creep around her neck. _Don't look down. Don't look do-oh God._ She began to cry, nails digging into the fleshy tube.

A Boomer emerged from around the corner, walking along the edge of the wall. Ellis saw this from the corner of his eye and aimed high, blowing off the Smoker's head with one well-aimed shot. Rochelle screamed as she fell, landing on top of the Boomer. It fell forward in the impact and she rolled off the side, hitting the dirt with a cough. Zack ran over as he fired with his automatic and grabbed her arm, pulling her up and away as the Boomer tried to right itself. She limped slightly, but was otherwise unharmed.

A horn sounded from behind them and they turned to see the Dozer in action. It plowed through the infected like fresh snow and parked close by, infected pelting against the opposite side. The doors swung open and Alan held out an arm. "Come on!"

Ellis and Kaylee each took one of Nick's arms and helped him get to the bus, Zack and Rochelle already inside. Coach swung the doors closed before they had even sat down and swung the vehicle back around, away from the over-flowing city.

In the light of the bus, Nick's condition looked even worse. He was very pale, but the bandages were tightly done and holding up. He groaned in his seat as Kaylee held his hand between hers. "It's okay, Nick. You'll be okay now."

Coach looked at them in the rearview mirror and did a double take when he saw the back empty. All of their food and water was gone, every last box. Zack followed his surprised gaze and soon everyone inside knew their situation. Someone had robbed their bus while they were gone. Their problems were piling up now.

Morgan had awoken when Coach and Alan first started up the bus. She remained on her back as he had driven along, pale blue eyes staring up at the night sky. Now that his driving had turned manic, she had to roll onto her stomach and hold on for dear life. She had no idea where she was or what was going on. But in the pale light of the moon as he rocketed down the bumpy highway, she saw her arms were turning pink again. Her mind told her this was good. His driving began to slow (Though she didn't know what was making her perch move), and she relaxed again, rolling back onto her back.

_I like stars. Stars are so pretty. I don't feel good. It is very dark._ She thought.

Satisfied with the distance behind them, Coach stopped the bus. "Nick, you holding up?"

Nick looked over at him with tired eyes, face showing pain and annoyance. "I feel like dancing."

"I'm sorry for slapping you." Kaylee frowned.

He looked back at her and their eyes met. Suddenly, she was that little girl again in his eyes who loved the cat's eye marbles. His face softened. "That is the least of my problems."

Zack looked away from them, angry at Nick for saving her first even if he was glad he hadn't to endure such an attack.

"We had a visitor it seems." Coach sighed. "We'll have to do our best to find more supplies."

"When I find the bastard who stole from us, I'll wring his neck." Ellis declared, pushing his fist against his palm. Jimmy Gibbs Jr. Jr. was sitting in the seat beside him, little blue overalls stained with blood.

"I'll drive slow for a while." Coach sighed, easing back into his seat, knee screaming with pain. "Alan, can you have another look at him?"

"My pleasure." Alan replied, him and Kaylee changing seats.

Kaylee watched as he undid the bandages, tears in her eyes once more as she saw the damage this man had endured to save her. She would not have lived through such a thing, this she knew. Part of her didn't believe he did it just because of a childhood crush. Nick cared about her, but how deeply she could not say. She held her new bear tight against her chest.


	20. Sunburns and Alcohol

Dawn had crept up quickly, the group having spent most of the night hours searching for their missing cowgirl. Now with the orange glow of early morning sun sweeping over them, everyone realized just how terrible they all looked. Their clothes were ripped and stained, Nick only having pants and shoes at this point. Coach pulled up in front of an abandoned laundromat and cut the engine.

"If these things are still running, I say we all jump in for a spin cycle." He chuckled, rubbing his sore knees were the acidic goo had burned them.

"My buddy Keith tried that once 'cept he climbed in the dryer." Ellis spoke tiredly, "I mean it wasn't on or nothing but he fell asleep in there on account of he had too many to drink and the lady he was dating at the time didn't think to check before she started tossing in wet clothes."

"Ellis, can this wait?" Nick groaned.

"Okay."

"I know we're all tired and dirty and just plain worn-out..." Coach spoke up. "But we won't get very far without any gas or food or water, water especially. Everyone break off in teams of two and go scavenging. Nick, you'll come with me and Alan."

"Why did you pick Alan so fast?" Nick asked as he slowly pulled himself up.

"Because you're coming with me and you need constant medical care." Coach replied, folding his arms.

"How could I forget?" Nick smirked.

"Everyone, I'm leaving the back door open. Make as many trips as you need to bring supplies back and forth. Don't carry so much you can't defend yourself." Coach directed, moving to the back to open the door.

"Sounds good to me." Kaylee nodded. "Ellis, will you come with me?"

"Sure thing." He smiled, pulling on his hat.

"Looks like it's you and me." Rochelle grinned, putting her arm around Zack's shoulder.

"I'm so excited!" He smiled sarcastically, waving his hands.

"One more thing." Coach said as everyone was getting out. "If you find any coats or such, bring those too. It's November...and we're heading North."

Ellis and Kaylee jumped out of the back and walked across the empty road to check out the corner grocery store. It was a small town with only few buildings over one story. Rochelle and Zack went the opposite direction to break into the gas station that only had one pump. Alan helped Nick get down the stairs of the bus, but once he was on solid ground he seemed to be doing okay.

"I need to find a pharmacy first." Alan told Coach. "I'm out of gauze and almost out of everything else."

"All right. We passed one coming in not too far back." Coach nodded.

The bell on the door jingled when the three men stepped inside. There was broken glass on the floor from where the window had been knocked in. There was an infected sitting with his back against the wall that looked up when he heard the bell. Before he could pull himself up, Alan fired several times into its head with his pistol.

"You're getting decent with that." Nick smiled.

"Thanks, I've been shooting cans." Alan replied, sticking the gun back in his belt.

"Have you hit any?" Nick laughed.

"Not yet, but I think I came close once."

Look around, Alan. I'm checking over this way." Coach pointed.

Alan stepped behind the counter, more glass crunching beneath his converse sneakers from the display case. He unzipped his med pack and set it on the counter before crouching down and going through the medicine. Coach began picking up packages of medical tape and gauze, tossing them into a paper sack. There would be no rationing for other people who might pass through this time. He had seven people to care for and no supplies.

Nick moved over to a nearby wooden stool and sat down with his back to the wall. "What do you guys think of Kaylee?"

"I think she is a fine young lady." Coach replied. "And too young for you."

"Ditto." Alan agreed, taking out a paper bag of his own to stuff.

"That's not fair. As far as we know, Kaylee and Rochelle are the only women left in America. I think the time for being strict is over." Nick pointed out.

"I think you're a dirty man making excuses." Coach laughed as he shook his head.

"Nobody said anything about Ellis and Morgan." Nick debated.

"Ellis is in his early twenties." Alan pointed out, "And she is nineteen."

"Was nineteen." Nick pouted.

"Cold. Would you say that in front of Ellis or Kaylee?" Alan frowned.

"Ellis, maybe. Kaylee, no."

"You just focus on quietly healing." Coach warned, "Before you get your butt whooped."

"Yeah, you tell him Coach. You pity that fool!" Alan laughed.

"Boy, do I look like Mr. T?"

"It was a compliment."

Coach grinned and set down three large paper bags on the counter. "Well all right but don't go spreading it around."

"We are the farthest thing from the A team." Nick smirked, standing up. "Let me carry one of those back.

"Are you sure you can handle it?" Alan smirked, pulling the bags away.

"I can kick your ass without trying, Alan, hand it over." Nick growled.

"Okay okay, jeez." Alan sighed, pushing the bag forward. "Crabby."

* * *

><p>"Are you sure you want to walk in?" Ellis asked as they stood outside the little grocer. "I can smell the expired everything from here. It's like a Boomer's armpit!"<p>

"Ellis," Kaylee urged. "We have to do this, not just for us, but for the team!"

"We have to run into a stinky building and barf for the good of the team?" He questioned.

"There should be plenty of canned food in the back. All we have to do is survive the run past produce, possibly milk."

"That is easier said than done. I couldn't smell anything for a week when Keith dared me to smell his gym bag."

Kaylee burst out laughing, the kind of good laugh she hadn't had in a while that you really felt in your ribs. "Oh gosh, Ellis. I want to meet him, I really do."

"He's great. I mean, he gets into a lot of trouble but that makes life interesting, right?"

"That's how Morgan used to be before this. I wish you could've met her before she started taking on all this responsibility. On Spring break before we graduated, me and her went and got matching belly button piercings just on a whim."

"So that's where she got that." He smiled. "I like it, it's cute. Is yours blue too?"

"Yep." Kaylee smiled, lifting up the bottom of her shirt to show him. "I meant to buy a new one a few months ago but I've changed my mind since then."

"I'm sure you could find a new one some place."

"I could, but now I don't want to." She replied. "It is more special now than it was before."

"I hear that."

Kaylee looked back at the door. "Okay, no more killing time. We have to go in."

"Kaylee, you think she's still alive, right?" Ellis asked.

She looked back at him, "I do, Ellis. Until i see a body, I will keep on knowing she is still out there."

Ellis pulled up his shirt over his nose. "All right then. For the good of the team."

"If you barf it is going to go all over your bare stomach if you do that." Kaylee warned.

He slowly pulled his shirt back down. "You women are too good at foreseeing disaster."

Kaylee counted down from three and they charged the door, forgetting to check if it was unlocked first. Kaylee hit the glass and Ellis hit Kaylee, both of them bouncing off and hitting the ground hard enough to wind them. Kaylee pulled herself up first, groaning as blood poured out of her nose.

"Uh oh." Ellis uttered.

"What?"

"You better hope Alan was right about being able to fix broken noses."

"It feels huge." Kaylee frowned, eyes wet.

"It ain't huge, just bent funny."

"Ellis, we can't go back now! We can't fail at getting through a door!"

"I think we already did." He replied sheepishly.

"No, we are getting in there and getting food. When they ask what happened to my face, we'll say you accidentally hit me with a bat while we were fighting off swarms of infected."

"I ain't no lady beater!" Ellis protested.

"You hit me on accident though so it is okay." She replied.

"There is no excuse for violence towards women, Kaylee, I learned that in high school sex class."

"Ellis, you didn't actually hit me."

"Yeah but you want to tell everyone I did."

"Okay, forget it. Let's just get inside and get food. When Alan fixes my nose, I will tell him I tripped."

"They'd be more likely to believe you ran face first into a door, which you did." He laughed.

They stood up and brushed themselves off for a second attempt. It was now that Kaylee noticed the little black sign on the glass above the handle that said 'pull'. "I'm an idiot. All the sugar and caffeine destroyed my brain."

Ellis patted her shoulder. "It's all right. You can make up for it by being sweet."

Kaylee opened the door and a wave of rancid over washed over them. Ellis tried to hold his lunch by breathing through his mouth but he quickly learned that the smell also had a taste. He doubled over in the doorway and began to vomit, all that canned fruit tasting terrible the second time around. The sight and smell were too much combined and Kaylee began to heave in the opposite direction.

"This is it. This is how we die." She cried in between dry heaving.

"We have to stay strong!" He choked.

* * *

><p>"Can I ask you something?" Rochelle asked as she and Zack walked toward the gas station.<p>

"I'm sure you will regardless of my answer." He sighed, "So what is it?"

"You like Kaylee, right? Like enough to want her back?"

"Yes."

"So why are you going about it so bad?"

"Excuse me?"

"A lady needs to know you really care, and that you really are sorry." Rochelle explained as they walked inside.

"I told her I care! I told her I was sorry!"

"Did you mean it from the bottom of your heart?"

"Yes."

"And what did she say?"

"Basically that I am up shit creek without a paddle, possibly without a boat." He sighed, looking over the protein bars.

"Then get over it." She shrugged, picking up some plastic bags from behind the counter.

"What do you mean, get over it?"

"Zack, sweetie, if she doesn't want to be with you again, then just be thankful she is willing to be your friend. Most girls won't offer even that." Rochelle explained, handing him a bag.

He began to fill it with protein bars and sticks of unopened jerky. "I try but...now Nick is acting like a total...a total..."

"Cock block?" She smirked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah!" He turned to her, in total agreement. "That is exactly it. He comes in with his fancy suit!"

"And his slicked hair!"

"And his moves!"

"And he cock blocks you!"

"Yes!" Zack stamped his foot. "It makes me jealous!"

"For Kaylee?"

"No! Why can't I do that?"

Rochelle laughed so hard her eyes watered, "I was not expecting that."

"I used to be like that! I could walk right up to her and lay on a few lines, lean in close, and she was putty in my hands. Now when I lean in close, she thinks I'm trying to fart on her or something! What happened?"

"Maybe she got bored of you and your moves." She giggled, grabbing a few warm cans of Red Bull.

"His moves aren't so great." He scoffed, tossing a few tubes of chips into a fresh bag.

"Maybe she has a thing for suits." Rochelle shrugged.

"Maybe. She used to say any man looked good in a suit."

"Oh do I agree with that." Rochelle smiled. "I worked as a reporter you know, so there were plenty of suited men in the studio. It was great."

"I'm done talking to you now. This is getting awkward." He blushed, focusing on grabbing food.

"Are you bisexual or something?"

"No." He glared.

"Teased in high school?"

He let out a sigh, "Yeah, a bit. Mostly because of my hair I guess, and I'm more pretty than handsome but...I never wore skinny jeans or any of that crap!"

"Well that's good. I heard it destroys the boys if you know what I mean."

He laughed, "You're not so bad, Rochelle."

"Yeah, you're not so bad either. Let's try to find some diesel before we head back. I don't care what Coach says, I'm not making two trips."

* * *

><p>Alan climbed up into the back of the bus and took the bags as Coach handed them to him. It looked like they were the first ones back as no other supplies had been added yet.<p>

"I hope everyone is doing okay out there." Coach spoke.

"I'm sure they're fine." Nick replied, leaning his shoulder against the bus.

Once everything had been set down, Alan hopped back down. "Should we head over to that little grocery store? I have a bad feeling about Ellis and Kaylee."

"Great, more walking." Nick sighed.

"Let's give 'em a few more minutes. It hasn't been too long." Coach replied, not wanting to strain Nick more than they had to.

* * *

><p>"Okay...okay..." Kaylee panted. "I think it passed."<p>

Ellis wiped his mouth and stood up. "All right. Let's get food before it comes back."

They ran inside holding their breath this time, quickly bypassing the spoiled fruits and vegetables. Kaylee jumped on the end of a cart and Ellis pushed, kicking off with his heel. They flew along the aisles balanced on the red cart as he propelled it forward, laughing like children. As it began to slow, Kaylee grabbed cans off the shelves and dropped them into the cart, not bothering to read labels. They were grabbing all they could.

Soon the cart was too heavy to glide along on, and Ellis had to get off and actually push it.

"They have jugs of Arizona tea. We should grab those for something else to drink."

"Good idea. I'm going back for another cart. There's boxes of bottled water down here."

Kaylee dashed down an aisle of cereal and breads, wondering if the cereal was still good when she ran past. It didn't go bad as quickly as fruit, so she would take some on her way back. When she grabbed ahold of the second cart, she heard growling behind her. She turned around and saw an infected in a dark blue hoodie about to pounce as it stalked toward her. Before it could jump, she pulled her cart around and launched it forward, striking the Hunter in the face. It grew angry and shoved the cart to the side. Kaylee had come in without her gun.

"Ellis!" She screamed.

He let go of his cart and ran in the direction of her voice, rifle in hand.

Kaylee looked up into the face of her attacker as she struggled against him, keeping his hands from clawing at her the best she could. There was no skin around his eyes, as if he clawed it off in rage. What if this is how Morgan looked now? She began to cry at the thought, her strength failing her. The hunter slashed across her middle, blood spraying against the wall beside her. She screamed in pain, feeling death about to take her. A gun fired and the head was blown off the Hunter. It fell limp on top of her and Ellis pulled it off.

"You hang tight, Ellis is here." He spoke, lifting her up into his arms and setting her down in an empty cart. He would come back for their groceries.

Kaylee wrapped her arms around her stomach, afraid of looking to see. In her mind, she imagined that if she moved her hands away, all her organs would flop out into her lap, all slimy and gray. She wasn't aware that she was crying.

Ellis pushed the cart quickly and carefully out the front doors to the bus where Alan, Coach and Nick were waiting.

"What did you do?" Alan yelled, running up to Kaylee and lifting her out.

"It was a hunter!" Ellis defended.

"A Hunter broke her nose?" Alan sneered.

Kaylee whimpered and Alan carried her around the bus and up the steps so he could look her over with shelter. He set her down in the seat. "Kaylee, move your arms. I need to see the damage."

"I can't." She sniffled. "My guts will fall out."

"They will not, just let me see." He spoke calmly.

She reluctantly moved her arms to the side and he gently lifted up her ripped shirt. There was a bleeding claw swipe, but nothing serious, especially considering what Nick had lived through last night.

"Ellis, did you find anything before you were attacked?" Nick asked.

"Yeah, we got a whole cart full of food still inside. I'll run back and fetch it." He pointed.

Ellis jogged off back into the store to grab the cart while Coach walked around to the front of the bus with Nick.

"Here comes Zack and Ro." Nick pointed.

Rochelle waved and held up three plastic bags, smiling. Zack waved as well. He had a bag in one hand and a twelve pack in the other.

"What do you have there, boy?" Coach asked, raising an eyebrow at Zack.

"I've got Beer and Rochelle has snacks." Zack laughed. "Where's Kaylee?"

"She had a run-in with a Hunter but she should pull through." Coach explained.

Zack shoved the case into Coach's hands and ran up the steps into the bus. "Kaylee?"

"Yeah?" She sat up. Alan was in the back of the bus, sliding boxes back under the seats.

Zack walked over to her. She had a few bandages on her bare stomach where her shirt had been torn away, but seemed perfectly fine. Her nose was black and blue with dried blood under it. "What happened to your face?"

"Oh." She laughed, "Alan had to reset it. I ran face first into a door but...don't tell anyone, okay?"

He smiled. "Okay. That's just like you. How many times did you run into my sliding glass door?"

"Apparently not enough because I still haven't learned." She held out her hands and he grabbed them, pulling her up.

"Besides the bruising it looks okay. You know, straight."

"I told you guys I could fix a broken nose." Alan smiled, wiping off his hands as he approached. "Did you say you had beer?"

"Yeah, outside." Zack nodded.

Rochelle and Ellis went around to the back of the bus once he returned with all the food and the two of them began to store everything away under the back seats. Kaylee walked back outside with Zack to see what was going on. The sky was slowly turning pink as the sun descended over the horizon of distance mountains. Alan and Coach had climbed up onto the hood, popping the first tops of the night. Nick sat down on the bench beside the bus in front of the laundromat, a beer in his hand as well despite Coach's initial protest. Kaylee sat down beside him and even made room for Zack.

Locusts began to hum from the surrounding shrubbery and all was calm. Coach and Alan both laid against the windshield, case of open beer between them. Zack and Rochelle walked out and joined them, Rochelle grabbing a beer for her and Ellis. He took it, but didn't open it just yet.

"Everyone," Ellis spoke, standing between those on the bus and those on the bench. "I want ya'lls attention for a second. I've been thinking a lot today and...I think Morgan is gone for good."

"Ellis..." Nick frowned. "You don't-"

"Now Nick, I ain't finished. I didn't know her as well I wish I did, but I did care for her an awful lot. I just want to take this chance now to have a moment of silence in her honor. Just a minute or so of thought for her, thanking her for as far as she helped us get."

Everyone nodded in agreement and closed their eyes, bowing their heads as Ellis asked for a proper farewell. A sunburned hand reached down in between Alan and Coach and pulled out a bottle of warm beer by the neck. Their moment of silence was interrupted by the 'sshhh pop!' of a twist off cap.

"Awe, come on now!" Ellis groaned,"have some respect for the-" He opened his eyes and saw Morgan sitting up on the roof with her bright red legs hanging over the windshield, bottle against her lips. "MORGAN!"

Everyone's eye's snapped open and looked where Ellis was gasping. "Oh my God!" Kaylee jumped up and ran over to the hood. "Morgan!"

"What the Hell?" Coach gasped, almost falling off the hood.

Ellis ran up the hood and pulled himself up quickly, standing on the hood between Coach and Alan. He pulled her sun burned body into his arms and wobbled as he almost fell off balance. Tears of joy streamed down his cheeks and he held her close, refusing to let her go. "You must've been on the road all day trying to find us!"

"I was up here." She spoke, voice dazed and vacant.

"Ellis let her go for two minutes." Coach spoke. "Morgan, you've been on the roof of the bus this whole time?"

"I...don't know. I think so. I woke up there..."

"Let her down." Alan pleaded.

Ellis jumped down and held out his arms. She jumped down and he caught her, easing her to the ground gently. Now it was Kaylee's turn to hug her. "Morgan, I knew you were okay."

"Kaylee...my skin hurts."

Kaylee let go. "Oh wow, Morgan, you are so sun burned. You've been up there all day? how do you feel? Are you-YOU CAN SEE AGAIN!" She squealed.

Morgan smiled, "Yes, I'm feeling...better. I threw up a while ago...this morning...and it seems to be passing."

"You threw up on the bus?" Nick asked, mildly grossed out.

"Yes." Morgan replied. "It was black."

Everyone flinched a bit at the thought. "Alan, did you pick up any aloe?" Coach asked.

"Yeah, I'll get it." Alan replied, unzipping the front pocket of his pack.

Morgan looked over at Nick and saw the thick bandages wrapped around his midsection. "Nick...what happened?"

"We went looking for you." He smiled, taking a swig. "I guess we should've looked harder. On the fucking roof..."

"Thank you." She smiled.

"For what?"

"For caring. It keeps us all together."

"I think you're loopy from heat exhaustion. You're spewing nonsense."

"Yes, probably." She grinned, swaying on her feet. Ellis caught her as she fell backwards.

"We need to get some proper food and water in you." He frowned, pulling her up into his arms.

"Okay." Morgan laughed, closing her eyes.

* * *

><p>The sunset had turned into night and most of the survivors were still outside enjoying their drinks and conversation. Kaylee and Zack were beside the bus, out of Nick's line of sight from the bench.<p>

"Kaylee, besides finding out Morgan is okay...do you know what the best part of today was?" Zack asked, looking over at her.

"Me breaking me nose?" She laughed.

"We haven't fought all day."

Kaylee couldn't help but smile at him. "Zack, we've been apart most of the day..."

"We aren't fighting now...and Nick doesn't have you under his spell."

"Zack...are you jealous of Nick?"

"No..."

Kaylee gave him a stern look.

"All right, yes. But only because you fall for everything he says and that...ugh.."

"That used to be you."

Zack looked at her. "Yeah. Baby doll, when did you stop being attracted to me?"

"It isn't like that." She explained. "I just don't want you to hurt me again. I can hide attraction. I'm a woman."

"Give me a chance." He begged, taking her hands."I won't hurt you again."

She pulled her hands away. "Zack, you can't promise me that. And stop calling me Baby Doll."

"You hate it."

"No...I love it. It makes it harder." She frowned.

Zack put a hand under her chin and pulled her face close to his. "Baby Doll..."

"Ugh, come here." She sighed, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him.

His hands fell around her waist as he pulled her in closer. The bugs were still humming.

"Coach..." Alan hiccuped. "Coach, I need to be real with you."

"yeah, man?" Coach asked, looking over at Alan.

Alan was wearing Morgan's cowboy hat at this point, empty bottles strewn about the hood. "Coach, this...this is my new drinking hat." Alan pointed. "Do you think it looks gay?"

"Naw naw man. You're like...Bruce Wayne in that hat."

Alan and Coach began to laugh with fits of masculine giggles, if such a thing existed. Coach let out a sigh. "I don't have a drinking hat..."

"We can...we can get you one! Ellis! ELLLLIS!" He called, wobbling as he leaned over the edge of the hood.

"What?" Ellis sighed, walking out of the bus. "I'm trying to help Morgan lotion her shoulders and...is that her hat?"

"Ellis, Coach needs your hat." Alan giggled.

"Why?" Ellis asked with a raise of his eye brow.

"Because it's his drinking hat."

Rather than stay to reason with them, Ellis took off his hat and handed it to Coach. Coach set it on his head, a bit too small for him. "Honk honk! Big trucker Coach coming through!" He laughed.

"I think I'm losing brain cells." Nick sighed, getting up from the bench. "I'm going to go sleep this off."

"I need some Wranglers." Alan sighed, leaning back against the glass. "Coach, we need to get some Wranglers. Rochelle says all men look good in those jeans. Even guys like me with no butts, get like...perfect butts."

"I look like a soft serve in jeans." Coach sighed.


	21. Testosterone

_Giving everyone a fair warning that this chapter contains mild sexual content. -Paradoxygen_

* * *

><p>An entire day had passed. They were on a long stretch of road leading north toward Colorado when disaster struck. Coach pulled over the bus as smoke poured from the hood. Everyone filed out and stood in the road, not worrying about any oncoming traffic. Ellis stood on a crate that Zack carried out for him and lifted down the hood unit, coughing and waving an arm as smoke continued to float into the sky even after the engine had been cut. He looked around once the smoke cleared while he waited for the parts to cool off enough to touch them.<p>

"Here you go, El." Morgan smiled, holding up the small chest of tools he'd managed to aquire.

"Thanks, Em." He grinned, taking it from her hands. "Go ahead and sit down, this might be a while."

"Okay." She nodded, walking over to where everyone else was standing in a circle in the road.

"Coach, what do we do if he can't fix it?" Kaylee asked, her face concerned.

"Well..." Coach reached into his back pocket and pulled out his map. "This road looks like it goes on for quite some time before it reaches a town, and this map is old so the town might not even be there any more."

"How far is quite some time?" Rochelle asked, raising an eyebrow.

"On foot? About...a week maybe?" He guessed.

"A week?" Alan gasped. "We can't survive walking on this road in the heat for a week. Even if we brought as much food and water as we could carry, the physical toll on our bodies would be too much...especially if there is no town!"

"Now calm down." Coach said, lifting his hand. "I was looking at the map last night and there is another town here." He pointed, "Maybe three days on foot and we would be going through the woods rather than baking on the paved road."

"What kind of woods?" Kaylee asked. "I've been on hiking trails before but just tearing through uncharted forest seems...dangerous."

"It is the only chance we have if the mechanic over there can't get the Dozer running." Coach explained.

"I guess you're right." She shrugged.

"Wouldn't that leave plenty of shadows for us to get attacked from?" Nick questioned.

"We don't have to decide anything just yet." Morgan spoke up.

"That's very true." Coach nodded.

Ellis hopped down after a few minutes of poking around. "All right, guys. I got some good news and some bad news."

"What's the good news?" Nick asked.

"The oil doesn't need changed." Ellis smiled nervously.

Nick forrowed his eyebrows, "And the bad?"

"The belt and bearings are shot, the cooling system ain't working right, and I think there might be a dead bird wedged in there somewhere but I couldn't find it." Ellis explained.

"So what does that all mean, Ellis? I don't speak car." Rochelle asked.

"That bus ain't moving unless we push it."

"Can't you just fix it?" Nick asked, frustrated.

"Unless some 305C V-6 Clevite Cam Bearings fall out of your ass, no." Ellis replied.

"This is just great." Nick scoffed, walking back toward the bus.

"Coach, there was nothing I could do." Ellis frowned.

Coach patted the young man's shoulder. "It's all right, Ellis. You did your best."

"Then it looks like we have a decision to make." Morgan said.

"It seems like hiking through the woods is our only choice." Zack shrugged. "If we can carry enough stuff with us, we could pretend it is a camping trip or something."

"I like the way you think." Coach smiled, "Being positive for a change."

"When we finally get some real good supplies, we have to go and lose most of them." Rochelle sighed. "But, at least we have a choice."

Everyone returned to the bus, Nick already shoving his new suit jacket into one of their empty backpacks. It was a hot day, so he only wore his shirt, pants, and shoes. There were enough bags for everyone to have one, all of the guys taking a backpack. Even Alan took one, as well as his hefty medicine bag. The bottoms of the bags were lined with water bottles, with some canned food on top of those followed by any clothing items they had with knives and other small weapons or trinkets on the top layer or in the pockets. Each bag was rather heavy, but everyone had decided on being safe rather than sorry later.

Once outside again, Coach unfolded the map to try and get his bearings. "Based on the last mile marker we passed, I'd say we're about here, just barely crossing over Oklahoma borders. We want to go that way. Everyone stick together, we got about eight hours before night fall."

Ellis lifted Morgan's messenger bag off her shoulder as they walked and slipped it on to his, taking on the weight of her bag and his back pack.

"Ellis, I can carry my bag." She spoke, reaching back for it.

"Nope. You just carry your gun and wear your hat. Alan said you were still weak from the dehydration and the sickness and I don't want you getting hurt." He replied.

She sighed but smiled regardless. "Thank you, Ellis. But let me carry it after a while."

"I'll consider it."

The sun was at its highest point in the sky as they trekked across the hilly landscape toward mountains and thicker patches of trees. It was hard to say if they'd reach the forest today, but they'd had plenty of rest for the most part and chances were good. Coach remained their guide as they walked, often pulling out the map as he walked to try and check for land marks. Once or twice he tripped but caught himself. Kaylee walked beside Zack for a while, but when he reached for her hand she bumped him away with her hip and strode up between Rochelle and Nick.

"How are you holding up?" Kaylee asked Nick, looking at the grim expression on his face.

"As fine as a man can with limited back movement and a head ache."

"I'm sorry..."

He let out a sigh, "I don't mean to take out my pissy mood on you. I don't mind the constant drifting from town to town. I'm used to that. It's this damn heat and aches."

"You were a drifter then?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"What did you do?" She asked, tucking her short hair behind her ears.

"Gamble. That's the short and sweet version." He replied.

"You don't like talking about yourself, do you?"

"Are you kidding?" Nick smiled, "I love talking about myself. But my past isn't something you need to be concerned with. It's in the past."

"Nick...were you...in the Mafia?" She asked quietly.

He let out a loud laugh, "Oh Sweetheart, I think I'm done answering your questions for the day."

"Let me guess." She smiled. "If you told me, you'd have to kill me? Give me some cement shoes and leave me to sleep with the fishies?"

His face hardened and he kept his soft gray eyes forward.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend y-"

"Save your breath."

Kaylee slowly pressed her lips together and lowered her head. "Okay."

"I was a news reporter." Rochelle smiled, gently bumping Kaylee's hip in an attempt to cheer her up.

"Oh?" Kaylee looked over at her.

"Yeah. I was covering the infection before it got so bad."

"That's so cool." Kaylee smiled. "I wish I could've seen you but I don't think we got your station back home."

"I'm sure you had someone covering it."

"Well yeah, but I didn't pay much attention." She sighed. "Like a lot of people, I'm sure. I laughed at the Bird flu and even harder at Swine flu. I guess I never thought things would get so..."

"Real?" Rochelle offered.

"Yeah. Real. Like everyone, I never thought anything bad would ever happen to me. Well, except dumb things that were my fault."

"I know what you're saying. I wasn't exactly the same but I think everyone feels a little indestructable sometimes." She shrugged.

"And look how fragile we are." Kaylee shook her head.

"Hey, Alan." Zack spoke up as he walked beside the Medic.

"Yeah?"

"Did you ever have a funeral for your sister? I never really asked..."

"No, but we had a service. She was taken in for treatment and they told us she didn't make it." Alan explained.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did you get to say good bye?"

"Nope. When we finally got her help, she was already in a coma in the hospital. I don't think they treated her at all."

"That's a bummer. I guess I took for granted that I got to say goodbye."

"You did? To who?"

"My parents." He replied. "I'm an only child, and when they found out they both had the green flu, they said goodbye to me through those masks that CEDA handed out and left me with my grandma. They went on a train to seek treatment...but I don't think they got it either."

"What about your grandma?" Alan asked.

"Infected swarmed the neighborhood and attacked our house in the night. She pushed me up the attic stairs and made me close them. She was killed by the infected, but she gave me a quick goodbye too. She said she had lived a full life so it wasn't as bad." Zack explained sadly.

"An attic? Yeah...I remember that day. They say that they flooded in from the hospitals around town, right?"

"I don't know." He shrugged. "But I guess that makes sense. I made a run for saftey when the horde had died down when Kaylee almost hit me with her car. She would've run me over if Morgan wasn't there, you know."

Alan laughed, "I remember that day. From the very start, she had your back."

"They both did but with different intents. Kaylee wanted to cover it in tire treads." Zack smiled.

"You know I can hear you two." Morgan laughed, walking up close with Ellis beside her.

"You do look out for everyone." Alan smiled.

Morgan shrugged, "Really, I am just being human. Running over one of the few people alive in America is a waste of someone who could be fighting beside you."

"You're a softy and you know it." Zack teased.

"Don't let the other's catch wind." Morgan play-scolded.

"Our lips are sealed." Alan grinned, sliding his fingers across his lips.

"Ellis, we've been walking for a while now." Morgan spoke, looking over at him. "Let me carry my own bag for a while."

"I don't think so." He replied. "You still look tired to me."

"We all do. We've been walking."

"Let me take care of you for a change."

"All right, all right. But you're making me feel like a spoiled brat." She pouted.

"You'd walk yerself to death if I let you, so don't gimmie that one." Ellis smiled at her.

"At least I'd die pulling my own weight..."

* * *

><p>As the scenery around them blended into trees and masses of rocks, they came upon a narrow river. After checking the map, Coach concluded just where they were. It was a lesser known river that connected to the Red river and opened up into a small lake a few miles from where they were. But twilight was starting to fall around them, and it would be wise to make a sturdy camp while they still had light to see.<p>

Ellis set down his bags with the others. "Okay, men. Raise your hand if yer good with the outdoors! Our ladies need a shelter!"

Everyone but Nick raised his hand (to nobody's surprise).

"I've been camping my fair share of times." Alan explained. "I can build up a fire pit and get some heat going."

"Okay good." Ellis smiled. "You get that started. What about you two?"

"I was in boy scouts..." Zack admitted shamefully. "I can take the sheets Kaylee and Rochelle packed and make a few tents with these tree branches." He pointed. "Those ones there are hanging fairly low."

Kaylee and Rochelle dug into their bags and pulled out the large white linens they'd pilfered from the laundromat.

"We got some rope too." Coach offered, bending down to open his own hefty backpack. "Anything we can use as spikes?"

"There's nails in my tool box." Ellis grinned, rushing over to it.

"That'll have to do." Coach chuckled, pulling out the rope.

"We brought one pot with us." Rochelle spoke. "But I think I can whip up a good stew. Want to help me, Kaylee?"

"Of course! Will two cans of stew be good?"

"Yeah, I think so. We can add some meat to really give us juice to walk tomorrow." Rochelle agreed excitedly. "Oh it is just like camping!"

Morgan rolled up a nearby log near the fire and set down her hat on it. "It looks like you all have this covered. I'm going to head over to that river and wash off."

"Okay, but stay close. If the water is moving fast don't go in too deep. And take your gun!" Coach ordered.

"Yes, daddy." She smiled at him, pulling her shot gun over her shoulder.

He flashed a grin back and shook his head. "And don't be gone long or we'll come looking for you."

"I'll be fine." She waved.

Nick walked over to the log and sat down. It felt good to get off his feet and he didn't even feel bad about not helping. It looked like the little camping crew had their shit together and even seemed to be having fun doing it. He watched the man dig up the ground in a tidy circle and lay rocks around the perimeter. It was a fire pit if he had ever seen one.

"Ellis, will you come with me to get some fire wood?" Alan asked, standing back up and brushing his hands on his pants.

"Sure thing. You grabbed an axe right?" Ellis asked.

"Yep." Alan handed it over. "If you chop, I'll carry."

"Sounds good to me, buddy."

The pair walked off away from the river and toward the surrounding trees, looking for good dry wood that would catch and burn easily. While they did this, Coach and Zack struggled with the sheets trying to assemble the first tent. Nick couldn't help but laugh as Zack pulled too far on one side and Coach had to scramble to get his end back. There was plenty of cursing. He took a swig from his water bottle and set it down beside the log.

"Did you pack a spoon?" Rochelle asked, emptying the first can into the pot in preperation for the fire.

"Yeah, let me get it." Kaylee nodded, rushing back over to her back pack.

"Anything I can do?" Nick offered, only asking to be polite.

"We got it. You just rest your back." Rochelle smiled, patting the bottom of the can.

"All right." He stretched his arms and went back to watching Coach and Zack. By this point the two men were standing around the heap of sheets, trying to come up with a better game plan. After only a few minutes of watching, his bladder alerted him and he stood up to go find somewhere to pee. He walked out of immediate eye shot of the camp toward the river and found a large bush that would do well enough. He unzipped his fly and looked around, trying to remember if he'd ever been camping. The bush was tall and overgrown with many like it nearby, but he could see the river through it between the branches. The water floated by calmly, light sparkling on the dark ripples like diamonds. There was a small splash and he averted his gaze toward the sound, expecting mud men to come swarming out of the water while he stood defensless with his dick in his hand.

However, the creature that had surfaced was the exact opposite of undead beast. He watched with his mouth hanging open as Morgan broke the surface of the water. Her long blonde hair looked brown in its wet state as it hung down her back in a perfect straight line. She ran her hands down it, pushing the river water back to where it had come. It all seemed to be happening in slow motion, his eyes forgetting to blink. As her hands slowly pushed her wet hair from her face, her bare chest broke free of the flowing water and he got an entire eye full of her small but round breasts. Something that glittered like the water's surface drew his voyeuristic eyes toward her nipples, where he made out the faintest of little blue studs through each one. _Oh God she has them peirced. _

His face grew hot as he stood there paralyzed, having been done relieving himself some time ago. She continued to walk forward out of the water, a matching blue stud twinkling from her belly button. As she came dangerously closer to get her clothes on the shore, he tore his head away only to look down and see that what he had in his hand was now firm. _If she catches me, this will look...oh fucking Hell! Fuck you, fate!_

He stuffed himself back in, wincing a bit as he hobbled around a tree and snuck back to camp before she could see him. He sat down on the log, face flushed and hands shaking. Ellis and Alan walked back into camp, setting down the wood.

"Tents are looking good." Ellis admired, looking over at the one tent Zack and Coach had managed to construct.

Alan moved back to his fire pit, a few fresh logs in his arms. "Ellis, I think this wood is too big."

Nick sat wide-eyed, trying to ignore the conversation. Hopefully nobody would catch sight of the tent he was pitching.

"What do you mean?" Ellis asked, squatting down by him.

"This wood is too long. See how much smaller the pit is?"

"It'll fit. Just jam 'em in."

Nick bit his lip.

"That would be reckless. I don't want to start a fire."

"Maybe you can widen the pit?" Ellis asked.

"I can't just stretch it out with my hands, Ellis. It's a perfect size this way. If it was bigger, it wouldn't look right."

"All right, well hand me the wood back." Ellis sighed.

Nick ran his hands through his hair and tapped his foot, trying to focus his attention on Coach but he was too far away.

"How is the fire going?" Morgan asked from behind Nick.

Nick let out a weird yelp that almost sounded like a whimper, falling off the log and onto the ground next to the small wood pile.

"Did I startle you?" Morgan frowned, putting a hand over her mouth. "I am so sorry."

Ellis looked up at her and a lump caught in his throat. "Morgan, yer...all wet."

"Yeah, I took the once in a lifetime chance to have a bath." She laughed, folding her arms across her chest. "It was cold but nice."

Alan averted his gaze, trying to steady some of the smaller logs in the fire pit.

"You're wearing a white tank top." Ellis whispered in her ear.

"I know, Ellis." She giggled. "It's not a big deal. It'll dry fast and it will be dark soon."

Nick pulled himself up, gritting his teeth. _How Ellis got -that- is beyond me. I wonder if it is too late to lay on the old Nick charm? Augh! What am I thinking? Coach is right. Stop getting hard-ons for the youngest girls here. Well...technically nineteen is older than eighteen. I wonder if I could get both at once...there has to be a few beers left around here..._

"Hurry up and get that fire on." Rochelle spoke up.

"Sorry, ladies." Ellis smiled, picking the axe back up. "I just need to split a few logs for Alan and we can get dinner on."

"Morgan, how was the water?" Kaylee asked, walking over to her.

"Cold." Morgan laughed. "But it was calm enough to go out pretty deep."

Rochelle handed the pot to Alan. "You're in charge of getting that hot. I need to wash off before I kill someone."

"Morgan, are you coming with us?" Kaylee asked, digging though her bag.

"I already went."

"But did you use soap?" Kaylee asked, pulling out a bar of Irish spring.

"I didn't know we had any."

Rochelle took Morgan by the hand and led her back down to the water. "Come on, we are washing your hair at least."

"Okay okay!"

As the three ladies walked down to the river and disappeared behind the bushes, all the men seemed to look at eachother at the same time.

"We're all dirty." Zach pointed out, still holding onto his edge of the sheet.

"True, very true." Alan nodded in agreement.

"No sense being smelly if they're getting clean." Ellis declared.

Coach just shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Oh stop making excuses to be peeping Toms. It's pathetic."

"No harm in looking." Zack grinned deviously.

"Boy..." Coach began.

"Three hot girls washing each other in a river, at dusk, Coach! When does that chance come by again?" Alan protested. "We won't do anything!"

"We have to set up camp!" He barked.

All the young men scrambled up and grabbed sheets and rope, even Nick. Coach just stood with his arms folded as they erected the other two tents and got the fire started.

"You are all weak." He grumbled.

"Come on...we've been running for our lives for weeks." Zack moaned, "And we finally get a golden chance to see some boob and you say no?"

Nick remained quiet, afraid of seeming as over-eager as the rest of them when in reality he wanted nothing more than to run down to the water tearing off his clothes.

"Just take some soap and act like you're trying." He sighed, walking to the fire to get the food started. "But you better not-" When he looked up, all four of them were dashing down toward the rocky shoreline. He threw his hands up and muttered something before returning to dinner.

"Move over, Zack." Alan laughed, "I can't see anything."

They were huddled together behind a large section of water grasses and cat tails, trying to peek as quietly as possible at the girls. They had all stripped down to their boxers, intending to wash off once the girls left.

"I think they're in their underwear." Ellis whispered.

"Oh damn, Kaylee's are pink. I love that color on her..." Zack smiled.

"I...never noticed Rochelle's rack...fuck..." Alan spoke.

"Wait a second, Morgan is topless." Zack pointed out as she came up out of the water after rinsing the suds from her hair.

"She dosn't have a bra." Ellis explained quietly. "And quit lookin' at her. Look at them."

"Are those...?" Alan asked.

"Yeah, now stop lookin'!" Ellis whispered harshly, giving Alan a small shove. Alan shoved him back and Ellis lost his footing on the slippery river stones beneath. They both fell with a loud splash and the three girls froze and covered themselves, looking in their direction.

"You startled the Witches!" Zack whispered harshly, dunking Alan and Ellis once in frustration when they came up for air.

The three young men began to duke it out in the water as Nick laughed and backed away from them, running soap along his arms and chest. He only ventured in up to his waist, not wanting to get his bandages wet. From the corner of his eye, he glanced through the grass and saw the girls laughing. They had returned to their washing once they realized it was just the boys.

Ellis broke away angrily and scrubbed his messy brown hair with soap. "This was a dumb idea."

"Mad they were eying your girl?" Nick teased.

"That ain't my girl, Nick. That's my future wife."

"Does she know?" He asked.

"Well no, I'm waiting to pop the question. But I knew it would be her. It was love at first sight, I swear to you." Ellis explained, washing the grime off his face.

Alan and Zack had returned to the line of grass to try and get another peek before it became hoplessly dark.

"Marriage isn't all it is cracked up to be." Nick replied. "Once you get married, the sex stops after two months."

"Maybe for you." Ellis laughed, splashing him. "Morgan is different. We're soul mates."

"Right, like those exist. So... have you given it to her?" Nick smirked.

"A gentleman does not kiss and tell." Ellis replied, turning his head away.

"I knew you didn't have the balls."

"Well for your information, I did. Not that it is your business, Nick." Ellis huffed. He turned around and threw his soap at Alan. "Have some respect!"

Alan rubbed his head and turned around, "Hey! You were just as eager as me a few minutes ago!"

Ellis gave him a stern look but turned back, defeated. "I guess part of me is still a horny teenager..."

"Part of you?" Nick laughed. "Ellis, that's the only head you think with."

Alan and Zack waded back over to them. "The girls left." Zack frowned. "We're getting hell when we get back, you know."

"Maybe you will." Nick smiled. "They never saw me with you."

* * *

><p>That night, the boys did recieve Hell. All four of them had to share one small tent while Coach had his own and the three girls shared one. Embers from the campfire popped and crackled, mostly extinguished. Nick had shoved everyone as far away from him as possible at first, but it didn't go over well. After much arguing, Nick was kicked out of the tent and left to sleep out on the ground.<p>

He pulled on his jacket as he stood up and looked around the darkened camp site, hair messy and face frustrated. He didn't see why he had to be punished when he was only going along with the others. A devious smirked stretched across his face. _Besides, I got a much better view than any of them already today. _

Sitting down on the log and looking out at the river, he took a flask out of his pocket and took a sip of scotch. Nick coughed as it burned his throat but warmed him up. It was getting colder, that was certain. Her rubbed his hands together after returning the drink to his inside pocket. The moon was still making the river glimmer even while everything else was dark.

The leaves behind him stirred and he turned his neck back to look. He recognized Morgan's shadow as she approached and sat down beside him.

"Night mares?" He asked.

"Yeah, nothing terrible. I'm just not very tired." She replied. "What are you doing out here?"

"My room mates don't care for me." He smiled, leaning with his elbows on his legs as he looked at the inky river.

"I'm shocked." She laughed sarcastically. "But you dirty boys got what was coming to you."

"Hey, I wasn't part of that." Nick defended himself, straightening up.

"No, I know." Morgan replied, pulling out a cigarette and lighting up. The orange glow illuminated her pale face and bright red cheeks for a moment. He noticed the way her hands trembled.

"Those things will kill you, you know." He replied, slipping out of his jacket.

"I know." She sighed. "I figured I'd finish the pack though. Helps with my shakes."

"You're cold."

"That too but the damn virus still hasn't worn off completely." She explained, offering him her pack.

He drapped his jacket over her bare shoulders before accepting one. She lit it for him and returned the little metal lighter to her pocket.

"Thanks." She smiled, pulling it around her.

"No, thank you." Nick laughed quietly, taking a drag.

"I saw you earlier." She spoke.

He froze for a second before exhaling. "Um...what?"

"You know what I mean." Morgan smiled. "I won't hold it against you this time, but do try to resist in the future."

"It was an accident." Nick tried to explain. "I didn't even know you were down there until you came up."

Hearing noise outside, Ellis crawled on his hands and knees and peeked out of the tent. His eyes widened when he saw Morgan sitting with Nick smoking cigarettes and wearing his jacket. His heart began to pound in his chest as he clenched his fists together. _Nick, you Son of a bitch...you're trying to get your filthy mits on her._

"I won't tell Ellis this time, okay?" Morgan replied, cutting him off with a raised hand.

Ellis' heart fell down into his stomach at her words and when she returned to her own tent, she hadn't even looked his way. Nick only continued to sit out there like the dirty con man he was. Ellis' lip trembled as tears reached the corners of his eyes.

He burst out of the tent and walked right over to him, pushing him hard on the back where he knew the bandages were. Nick yelled in pain and fell onto his hands and knees, lit cigarette falling into the brush.

"You Sum bitch!" Ellis yelled, kicking him in the ribs. "What did you do to her? I trusted you!"

"Ellis? What the fuck is wrong with you?" Nick yelled.

The tents all trembled as the campers inside all scrambled out to see what was going on. Coach pushed his way forward, trying to move to the fighters in the darkness.

"Get up so I can punch your face in!" Ellis yelled, grabbing Nick by the collar and forcing him to his feet.

"Let go of me you crazy Hick!" Nick roared, jabbing at Ellis' stomach with his fists.

Ellis slammed Nick's back against a nearby tree, making him scream in pain as the bark poked into his still healing flesh.

Coach got to them just as the cigarette lit the dry grass under their feet. Alan and Zack sprung into action, trying to stomp the flames out before they could spread. The fire burned their feet and Alan's boxers quickly ignited. He began smacking at it, yelling over the sound of Ellis cursing at Nick and Nick wailing. Coach was pulling Ellis away, taking all of his strength to do so. Zack grabbed Alan and forced him to the ground, rolling him in the dirt near the camp site. As the fire spread, Kaylee began to smother the flames with the thick jacket she grabbed inside their tent. Rochelle doused the rest of the small inferno near the tree with the water bucket they had prepared in case of such disaster.

Nick fell to his knees and Morgan helped him up onto the log as he wheezed and leaned into her shoudlers. He was mumbling obscenities that would make a sailor uncomfortable and Morgan tried to sooth him by running her hand on his back. It came back flecked with dark blotches she took for blood.

"Ellis!' Coach barked. "What the hell has got into you, boy?"

Ellis' face was full of hot-blooded anger but there were water stains down his cheeks. "Ask Nick! He's the one putting moves on her!" Ellis pointed as Coach held him back.

"What?" Morgan gasped, still holding onto Nick as he began to dry heave in pain.

"You're cheatin' on me! I heard you tell him you wouldn't tell me!" Ellis cried.

Kaylee stood there with her mouth opened. "What? Nick, what the hell? You flirt with me and then do this?"

Zack turned around from where he had successfully put Alan out, "Woah woah, what?"

Kaylee covered her mouth. "Oh no."

"Ellis, I haven't done anything!" Morgan defended, face hurt. "Ellis what you heard wasn't-"

"Save your lies for someone who'll believe them." Ellis pulled away from Coach but made no move to attack Nick.

Rochelle held her head. "Everyone just calm down for a minute before we burn down anything else!"

Ellis stood by the tree as Coach moved over to check on Nick. "Nick, you all right?"

"Do I look all right?" He yelled, lifting up his head.

Morgan stood up and rushed over to Ellis. "Please, just listen to me."

"Why should I?" He asked his voice choking up at the end.

Zack walked over to Kaylee and whispered harshly. "You're flirting with him?"

"He flirted with me. And we aren't together." She whispered just as harsh.

"We kissed!"

"I like kissing you! That doesn't mean I have a ring on my finger!"

"You want me to propose in the fucking woods and marry you?"

"No!" She yelled. "Stop begging for commitment. This is just like high school!"

"You're right!" He laughed, throwing his hands up. "You still won't grow up!"

"Excuse me? You're the one making a scene about _flirting_."

"You make me so mad." Zack growled.

"Well I hate you." She sneered.

"Everyone just go to bed!" Coach demanded. "Nick, you can sleep in my fucking tent if it will keep you out of trouble. Alan will look at your back in the morning."

Alan sat up, "Yeah nobody ask about Alan. I only just got my legs forceably shaved."

Rochelle walked over and offered him her hand. "Maybe you can make yourself a business: Bikini waxing and medicine."

He couldn't help but laugh as she helped him up. "I'll need a business partner."

"Easy tiger, I'm still bitter at you."

"Hey, you didn't set me on fire. Things are already going better than my other relationships."

Rochelle laughed, "I actually believe you."


	22. Alan's Notebook

_There is no greater gift on this Earth than life. It is when I look around at the vast emptiness this place has become that I remember this. When the infected surround us, this feels salvageable...as strange as that sounds. Even though they suffer, my heart tells me they can be cured and we kill only when we need to kill. There have been many infected we have simply passed by because of my desires to hold fire. As a doctor, it has always been my wish to help people, to heal. But when we find ourselves in places where no life touches...where the dust settles on every surface and phones lay off the receiver that I begin to lose hope. It is the silence that brings tears to my eyes, not the infection. It is the lack of any kind of life that makes me feel hopeless._

_I watch Morgan closely, trying to study her and learn from her. I saw her teeter on the edge of death and come back in a matter of days. Her infection was not the same but it was similar. Though, my hopes have not been raised. The rest that made her well seems to have an opposite effect on the other infected. As weeks pass, Smokers have grown more tongues and Boomers seem to sprout new legions and boils. They are getting worse, mutating. I fear that the longer we wait for a cure, the less infected have a chance at recovering. The more they change...the more powerful they get. I watched a Tank pick up a small bus while we were in the city. They won't be able to keep fighting them, this I am sure of. We have to find the military if it still stands. Until we do, we have to remain hidden. I cannot work the miracles we would need if another fell victim to a 'special' attack. Nick would not have survived if the Witch had stayed on him another moment-_

"Alan, you packed yet?" Rochelle asked, walking over.

Alan was sitting on the log writing in a spiral notebook, seemingly lost in his words. He looked up, "Oh, are we leaving already?"

"Coach said sunrise and it's sunrise." She smiled, back pack over her shoulder.

"Right." He closed the notebook and stuffed it into his pack.

"You checked on Nick, right?" She asked.

"Oh, yeah. He'll be fine. A little bruising. I think his pride took more damage than anything." Alan replied.

"Good. I can't wait to put some miles between me and this anger fest."

"Well, with only three girls among five guys, there's bound to be some territory wars." Alan laughed, barring his teeth.

"We aren't baby machines." Rochelle said, folding her arms.

"Instinct is hard to break, especially when that is what we are running on. Ellis sees Nick as an alpha going after his she wolf." Alan smiled.

Rochelle cracked a smirk, "Is that what you see? What about Zack?"

"Zack is a penguin. He offers Kaylee the shiniest pebble he can find and she refuses it."

"What's Nick, the emperor penguin?" She laughed.

"Well if he was, it explains the fancy get-up."

"Stop goofing around, you two." Coach sighed, walking past. "We need to start moving."

The group followed the river for the time-being. It was easier to find where they were on the map if they had a little blue line to follow. The silence was so thick that many felt they were wading through it. Ellis sat away from everyone else at breakfast that morning, barely touching his food. A few birds flew away from the trees as they walked through the forest and only Alan took the time to watch them flutter out of sight. Everyone else kept their heads forward as they trekked along, climbing over stone filled paths and winding through thick trees.

The laundromat had provided them with more clothing, though only a few articles had long sleeves and there were few coats. Morgan had found a pair of jeans and her sturdy boots kept her feet warm, but her tank top was thin and not very warm. The temperature seemed to drop a little more after each mile as the mid-November chill strung their noses and bit at their ears. Nick walked beside Morgan, everyone else too mad at him for one reason or another to even stand being near him. He sighed and watched his breath float up in front of his face. Looking over at Morgan, he saw her shiver as she walked slowly, lips slightly blue.

He slid off his back pack and stopped walking for a moment, pulling off his jacket. She paused and turned around. "Nick?"

Walking back over, he wrapped his large jacket around her. "You should've spoke up sooner that you were cold."

"It isn't so bad as long as I'm moving. Thank you, though." Morgan smiled, sliding her arms through the sleeves.

"Don't mention it." He grabbed his back pack and they caught up with the others, his eyes catching Ellis' as the young man turned around and glared. Nick frowned and looked away, not sure how he was going to get himself out of this mess. He couldn't even honestly say he had done nothing wrong...

"Kaylee, I am sorry I exploded like that last night." Zack spoke up, walking next to her.

"I let things get out of hand too." She sighed. "I'm sorry too."

He held out a hand, "Friends?"

Kaylee laughed and high-fived it. "You know we are."

"I like kissing you too."

"Trust me." She grinned, "I know."

"Am I that obvious?" Zack smirked.

"A little bit." She gestured with her fingers. "I'm sorry if I made you jealous with Nick. I guess I was attracted to him...the mystery. But...maybe he is too mysterious."

"He's easily swayed, Kaylee. You deserve better."

"I'm not worried about what I deserve, Zack. Right now, I just want to live."

* * *

><p>By noon, things had warmed up though it was still cool. They all stopped in a clearing near the river to rest and eat. It was hard to say just how far they had come, but they hadn't stopped to rest since leaving. Coach sat down on a large rock and rubbed his knees. They were aching pretty bad.<p>

Nick set down his heavy pack and looked over at Ellis. The poor kid was still by himself, sitting on a rock next to the water. There had been no jokes, no stories about Keith, he hadn't even pointed at anything. He'd made up his mind. If Ellis wouldn't let Morgan set things straight, then Nick would have to do it himself.

"Ellis."

"Go away, Nick." Ellis sighed, flicking a stone into the water.

"I just want to clear up what happened."

"I don't want to hear about what you two did." Ellis growled.

"That's just it, Ellis. Nothing happened!"

Ellis looked over at him. "Why should I believe that? I saw you two out there together."

Can I just tell you the whole story?" Nick asked. "Will you let me do that?"

"All right, go ahead and talk."

"When you and Alan when to go get fire wood, I walked down by some bushes to pee. While I was, I heard a splash. I looked up and saw Morgan come out of the water. Ellis, we both know she is pretty. Can you blame me for staring? I was just standing there like an idiot. When she was almost to shore, I ran back to camp. Apparently, she had seen me. So what you heard was her saying she wouldn't tell you that I saw."

Ellis took off his hat and swiped his brow with his arm before putting his hat back on. "That's the honest truth?"

"Yes." Nick sighed.

"How much did you say you saw?"

"Everything, Ellis. It was great." Nick rubbed the bridge of his nose. "But I would never try anything. You're my...friend."

Ellis stuck out his hand, holding out his pinky. "Pinky swear you won't cross me."

"What?" Nick looked down. "Ellis, that's so dumb."

"Promise me, Nick, or I won't believe a word."

"Fine." He grumbled, making sure nobody was looking for making his pinky swear with Ellis.

Ellis grinned and stood up, giving Nick a hug. Nick froze up as Ellis squeezed him tight. "You're my buddy too, Nick."

"Great."

Ellis let go, "But I got one last thing to get off my chest."

"And what might that be?" Nick asked.

Ellis made a fist and punched Nick hard on the cheek, sending him stumbling back. "Don't you pull something like that again! Her body ain't for your pleasure!"

"Okay okay! Fuck, man..." Nick rubbed his cheek, feeling it starting to swell.

Coach moved to get up but when he saw nothing else happen, he eased back down. "Well it looks like that matter is settled. About time."

Morgan handed Coach a mug of hot cocoa from the pot Rochelle had prepared. "Here, Coach. We used your favorite chocolate."

He smiled warmly and took it from her. "You ladies are angels, you know that?"

"Angels of death." Kaylee grinned deviously, shining the shaft of her rifle.

"That is disturbing." Alan smiled, bringing his own cup to his lips.

Zack walked over to Nick and Ellis, handing them each a protein bar. "If you guys are done talking, Rochelle made cocoa."

"Aw yeah, my favorite!" Ellis declared, rushing off to go get some.

Zack looked at Nick. "Nice shiner."

"I deserved it. Though, it was worth it." Nick smirked, opening his treat.

"What did hit you for exactly?"

"For seeing his girl naked."

"We all did." Zack chuckled.

"No no...totally." Nick whispered.

"Woah."

"Yeah."

"Zack, Nick!" Kaylee called. "Yours is going to get cold if you don't come drink it!"

"Coming!" Zack waved, jogging up to the others.

* * *

><p>"Coach, we've been hiking for hours." Nick complained. "How much longer are we following this damn river?"<p>

"Nick, if I knew then I would tell you." Coach snapped, stopping to catch his breath. "Would you rather be back on that high way?"

"I'd just like to know what we are walking to." He sighed.

"Kaylee, look." Morgan pointed.

The group turned and looked where Morgan was pointing. Where the ground had sloped up into a hill, many large rocks were jutting out with some piled on top of those. The land around them was very rocky, and they had been avoiding it where possible by staying by the water.

Kaylee shielded her eyes and looked up, "How high up do you think that is?"

"I'd estimate about thirty feet give or take." Morgan replied.

"Why the sudden interest in rocks?" Nick asked.

"Me and Morgan did a lot of climbing." Kaylee explained, slipping on a pair of gray fingerless gloves. "We had a fitness kick and got pretty good. If we climb up there, we can see what is around us."

"Are you sure about that?" Coach asked, "I don't want you falling."

"It's higher than what we are used to..." Morgan replied, walking over to the rocks. "But we should be okay."

Ellis put his hand on Morgan's shoulder, "I don't know about how I feel about this. You climbin' up there with no harness."

"Trust me." Morgan smiled, kissing his jaw.

Ellis cracked a small smile. "Okay."

"All right, Kaylee. Just like before." Morgan smiled, squatting down and folding her hands together.

Kaylee got a boost up onto the rock with Morgan's help and turned around. She lowered her hand and Morgan gripped it. Kaylee hoisted her up and the two of them continued to scale the rock formation like they'd been doing it for years. In reality, it was their favorite after school activity in high school. The others stood around, watching them climb up. Morgan quickly pulled ahead, resembling a Hunter just a little too well. When both girls had reached the top, they began to look around.

"What do you see?" Coach called up to them.

"Lots of trees!" Kaylee yelled back.

"Please tell me there is something else!" Nick yelled in desperation.

"I see light!" Morgan called.

"What kind of light?" Alan asked, cupping his hands over his mouth.

"I think it's a house!"

"That could either be really good or awful." Nick replied. "And by awful, I mean a guy in the woods who uses human skin to make tasteless evening wear."

"Nick, you're freaking me out." Rochelle shivered.

"Girls, come back down now. We'll head that way!" Coach ordered.

Kaylee gave them a wave and they slowly climbed back down. It was easier to climb up but the descent took longer.

"Which way was the light?" Coach asked.

Morgan stepped in front of them. "If we walk around this rock, it isn't very far in that direction." She pointed.

"Am I the only one who has a bad feeling about this?" Nick asked.

"I got a good feeling!" Ellis grinned. "They're probably hunkered down waiting out the infection. Maybe it's a big burly mountain man who makes pancakes and calls them flap jacks."

"Or maybe he just has a chainsaw."

"We won't know until we find out." Coach replied. "But be on your best behavior."

As they walked, a harsh wind picked up. The temperature was still dropping and with the sun once again dipping in the sky, they knew the night would be miserable without shelter. The thick pines blocked some of the wind, needles blowing against them as they walked over the hardening ground. Winter was coming fast and many of the survivors had never had to experience snow.

As they reached the clearing, the cabin came into view. There was a dirt road off to one side that probably connected to the old high way at some point. It was two stories, made of logs on the outside but the windows seemed fairly modern. Whoever lived there before (or now) had obviously taken good care of it. There was a satellite on the roof that was more than likely useless now, but the hum of a generator somewhere in back explained why there were lights on in one room downstairs.

"It's a Thanksgiving miracle!" Ellis yelled as they approached.

"Calm down, Ellis!" Nick snapped, "It's just a fucking house!"

"Not that, look!"

Nick looked where Ellis was pointing. There was a large white truck parked outside with big tires and ridiculous metal framing with an extra set of headlights on the roof. The kind of truck he'd seen a lot of in the south. "So?"

"That's Keith's truck! I bet my left nut on it!" Ellis laughed, running toward the cabin. "Keith! Keith you rascal bastard get out here!"

The door swung open. With the light behind him, all they could make out was the shadow of a man in a trucker cap holding a shotgun.

"Ellis!" Coach yelled.

The man on the porch set down his gun and ran down the porch steps. He was shirtless, with so many scars on him it was almost scary. In fact, it seemed like he only had one nipple. They hadn't heard that story yet. The logo on his hat was the same as the one Ellis wore, so there was no mistaking it. The two men hugged each other, spinning around and calling each other names.

When the others finally approached, they got a good look at Keith. He had scars on his face as well, though not as bad. And boy was he handsome. That certainly hadn't been what any of them were expecting.

"Keith, these are my new friends." Ellis smiled, stepping away to point everyone out. "We got Coach, Nick, Alan, Zack, -"

"What do we have here?" Keith grinned, stepping forward and right up to the three ladies.

"That's Rochelle, Kaylee, and Morgan."

"And here I thought all the women were gone. And you're all so pretty." Keith grinned.

The girls smiled. "Well thank you." Rochelle said, looking him over. "We've heard a lot about you."

"Have you now?" He grinned.

"Ellis never shuts up about you." Nick sighed.

"Keith, you think we could stay with you?" Ellis asked.

"Of course ya'll can!" He exclaimed, clapping Ellis on the shoulder. "Everyone come on in. You can meet Dave."

"Dave is here too? I shoulda known ya'll would make it!"

"Oh God, there's more of them?" Nick moaned.

"Shut up, Nick." Coach warned. "We have shelter for the night."

Once safely inside, the group began to warm up. Dave was poking the fire and almost fell in when Ellis grabbed him by the waist and pulled him up into a bear hug.

Nick's lips turned into a snarl. "If this turns into Broke back Mountain, I'll take my chances out there with phenomena."

Kaylee elbowed him, "Be nice. These guys were his best friends."

Dave walked over and shook everyone's hand. "It's good to know that bastard over there ain't the only one who lived." He chuckled, gesturing to Keith.

"How long have you two been out here?" Coach asked.

"Maybe five days. We came across it all abandoned, but we have enough gas to keep the generator running for a while if we only use it at night."

"That's smart thinking." Coach nodded. "We won't impose on you for long."

"Really, it ain't no trouble." Dave smiled. "Personally, I'd go nuts if I had to spend the rest of my life with just Keith. Fighting the infected is the only fun left in this sad place."

"You're saying there are infected out here?" Nick asked.

"Bet your ass." Keith interjected. "Just yesterday we took down a Tank bout two mile from here. If the damn things had antlers, we woulda mounted that sucker above the mantle."

"How charming." Nick spoke with a straight face.

"So, Ladies..." Keith grinned, putting his arms around Kaylee and Morgan. "How are ya'll doing tonight?"

"Easy there, Keith." Ellis warned. "Morgan is spoken for and Kaylee has fire in her soul."

"Are you now?" Keith smiled, looking at Morgan. "The one in the suit, right? You look like a girl who likes a little danger."

Morgan moved from under his arm, "That depends on the danger but no. I'm with Ellis."

Keith let go of Kaylee. "Well put me in a dress and call me Nancy! Ellis finally got a pretty one!"

"Keith, you stole half of my girlfriends! You're insulting yourself." He huffed.

"The fun is in the chase." Keith grinned, turning back to Kaylee. "Fire was it?"

Zack pulled out his pistol and pointed it at Keith. "No."

Keith back away. "All right, bud. Don't have to tell me twice."

Coach moved over and sat down on the couch. "How many infected are in the area?" He asked, changing the subject to distract Keith.

"Shoot, I don't know. We take the four wheelers out during the day and drive around killing shit."

Nick pressed his hand against his face and slid it down slowly as he shook his head. "I'm at a hillbilly resort."

Dave walked in from the kitchen and handed Coach, Alan, and Nick each a cold beer. "There ain't a lot of 'em and in the past days we killed off less and less. Ain't much to worry about out here. What would everyone else like to drink?"

"Cold beer!" Coach grinned. "A man could get used to this!"

Alan pulled Morgan's hat off her head and sat down by Coach. They clinked their bottles together before drinking.

"Honey, I don't care as long as it's cold." Rochelle smiled.

Everyone gathered in the living room enjoying the first cold drinks they'd tasted in weeks sitting by a warm fire in a lit room. With everyone talking, the generator outside couldn't even be heard. Coach pulled out his map and laid it out on the coffee table.

"Do you know where this cabin is on this map?" He asked them.

Keith scratched his head and looked at it, beer in hand.

Dave sighed and squatted beside the coffee table. "There." He pointed. "That town just up ahead is empty, CEDA tents are still there but ain't nothing in them. We haven't gone any farther than that but there is a military base about ten mile from there. It could be worth checking out."

"I think we just might do that. Are there any cars in town?" Coach asked.

Keith rubbed his chin. "I don't quite remember but we could drive ya'll out there tomorrow or the next day."

"That would be great, Keith. Why don't you come with us?" Ellis asked.

"Are you kidding? We got it made out here. Easy life with plenty of fun stuff to shoot." Keith smiled.

"Same old Keith." Ellis smiled, relaxing by the crackling fire. Morgan laid down with her head on his leg and he draped an arm over her waist, sipping at his beer. "Have you seen any other people besides us?"

"We passed a biker guy and an old man about a week ago, I think." Keith replied, eyes drifting over the girl who was falling asleep on Ellis. He couldn't remember her name.

"Bill and Francis." Alan smiled. "Was there another guy with them?"

"Yeah, come to think of it. They were headed down 86." Dave replied. "Ya'll are welcome to fight over the room upstairs. The couches down here are free too."

"Thanks again." Coach smiled. "We'll be out of your hair as soon as possible."

* * *

><p><em>There are terrible people in the world. I have discovered that most of them are men. Nick is a man whom I have slowly grown to trust. His views on women are...questionable. He is not an evil man, this I know, but a man who only loves himself could never hope to be loved by anyone. Ellis is young, and young men are often reckless. But I have come to accept him. Coach is a good friend to me and an admirable person. He has spoken to me before about his wife and I look up to him. He was always faithful and loving, everything I wish I had the chance to be before the outbreak. Zack is by far the most annoying young man I've ever met, but I blame his youth for that. While I may be only twenty-six, I feel much older. Maybe I distrust so many men because I've seen so much wrong, met so many woman hurt by men in the halfway houses I worked for. Yes, I think that is the cause.<em>

_I am keeping my eye on Keith. Ellis is a foolish and innocent young man but Keith...sometimes bad situations warp the mind of the weak. I am keeping my eye on him and I plan on expressing these concerns to Coach. I've seen his type before. All it takes is one shred of self-reasoning to make men like him feel a little too in control._

"I ain't seen too many people since I left Georgia. Well, lots of infected but they ain't people." Keith laughed, leaning back in his wooden chair. "Could be up to us to repopulate the world." He continued to laugh, everyone but Alan taking it as a joke.

Alan looked back down in his notebook and scribbled one last line before closing it.

_Keith has reasoning. All he needs is a chance._

"Alan, what are you doing?" Coach asked.

"Just making notes on things." Alan smiled, tucking it into his bag. "The kind of infected in the area, that sort of thing. It makes it easier to catch clues."

"Always on the ball." Coach chuckled. "Well loosen up. We got a good place to rest tonight."

Alan forced a laugh and took a sip, knowing he'd be sleeping with one eye open.


	23. The Witching Hour

_Chapter warnings: This chapter contains more gore than those previous as well as smut. If sexual scenes are not your thing, feel free to skip the paragraphs marked between the asterisks. "**" -Paradoxygen_

* * *

><p>The clock on the wall struck one in the warm cabin. Ellis yawned and looked over at the Couch where Coach and Alan were passed out asleep sitting shoulder to shoulder with their mouths open. He chuckled to himself at the sight. Nick was over in the corner sitting in a rocker with his arms folded, but with his head leaning to one side as he drooled onto his shoulder. It was apparent he had fallen asleep as well. Kaylee and Zack had both fallen asleep sitting at the kitchen table with their heads down on it, reminding him of his school days. Rochelle had claimed the arm chair for herself and even had a quilt around her as she slept peacefully.<p>

Ellis stretched his arms, one side of his body warmer than the other from the fire. Morgan breathed slowly against his leg, arms draped over his knee. Before Keith had turned in for the night, he reminded Ellis there was a bedroom upstairs. It would be colder up there, but it would be more comfortable than the floor. Dave had gone to bed long before Keith.

He carefully slipped her arms off of his leg and picked her up into his strong arms. She stirred slightly but did not wake and he just looked at her sleeping face for a moment thinking about how lucky he was. The stairs were next to the kitchen, and he carried her up carefully, not wanting to hit her head on anything and ruin the moment. The upstairs bedroom was indeed much colder than the rest of the house and he felt a shiver run up his back the moment he stepped inside. Setting her down carefully on the bedspread, Ellis looked around in the dark room for some blankets.

"Ellis..." Morgan spoke up, her voice sleepy and cute.

He turned around, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's okay." She smiled, stretching her arms. "It's so cold up here..."

"Yeah, I'm trying to find more blankets-Fuck!" He exclaimed, hitting his toe against the dresser.

"Ellis, come here." Morgan asked sweetly, sitting up. Her teeth chattered slightly.

He obeyed, hopping over to the bed, cursing under his breath. She grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him over her. He caught himself with his arms, hovering above her on the bed. The light from the open door was dim, but just enough to see her face and soft blonde hair fanned out around her, curling slightly at the ends over the pillow. She closed her eyes and wrapped her chilled arms around his neck, pulling him into a kiss. He closed his eyes as well, snaking one hand under her head as he worked his mouth against her soft lips.

She let go after a moment and a smile spread across his face. "What was that for?" He asked happily.

"I've been wanting to do that all day." She replied softly. "And I wanted to warm you up."

"I'm feelin' a little warmer."

"Is that so?" She asked, slowly moving her leg up, knee pressing tenderly between the legs of his baggy mechanic's jumpsuit.

He smirked, looking at the mischevious glimmer in her eyes. "How about I warm you up some?"

******Instead of answering, she met his lips again with hers, parting them as he slipped in his eager tongue. Her heart beat faster as he ran his hands into her hair. Everyone knew of his boyish behavior and antics during the day, but only Morgan knew of his hungry and passionate side. Ellis was not a force to be controlled. Her skin began to warm beneath his touch as his toughened hands slid up the bare skin of her stomach. The faintest of gasps from her sent his heart racing, and he pushed her tank top up over her breasts. Ellis lowered his face from her mouth and flicked his tongue over one pierced nipple, making her hold back a moan. They had to be quiet after all.

She ran her hands up into his messy brown hair as he teased her, shifting his body to one side so he could slide a hand down the front of her jeans. She lowered her hands as he did so and pushed her jeans down, giving him a smirk when he looked up at her. Ellis smiled widely, forcing his lips to hers again as he stroked gently between her thighs with two fingers. She bucked her hips up against his hand, the heat from her body making the room seem less cold. Ellis lowered his head, his hot breath against her neck as he whispered. "Warmin' up?"

"Nnn...yes..." She replied, biting her bottom lip and tossing her head back into the feather pillow.

He pulled his shirt off over his head and tossed it to the floor, the muscles in his stomach and arms making her blush as she watched him. He reached down and untied the arm sleeves of his jumpsuit that acted like a belt for his baggy pants. They dropped effortlessly, his hardened tool pressing against the fabric of his white boxers. As he inched over her again, she slipped her hand down under his waistband before he realized what she was doing and gripped him firmly. He let out a little gasp as her soft hand slowly stroked his hot member and any coldness in the room was forced away. Ellis took her by the shoulders and pressed her down into the bed, once more pushing his tongue into her mouth as she submitted to him, her cheeks hot with a blush. Though he had the control, he pushed inside her slowly and gently. Morgan wrapped her hands under his arms and around his broad back, nails digging into the bare skin of his back with light force. He kept one hand beside her head and the other gripped the head board as he closed his eyes and built up a rythem with his hips. The pressure from her nails sent sparks of pleasure into his brain that only added to his arousal as the springs in the bed squeaked beneath them.

Morgan let go of his back and gripped the bed beside her as her hands came alive with thousands of live-wire like sensations. Her mind began to race with images of running and jumping and climbing. Her fingers twitched as the flood of feeling rushed over and through her as she wrapped her legs around his waist. Ellis grunted, his breathing rapid as he looked down at her. Her lips quivered and his eyes widened as her hands ripped into the mattress beneath her. This did not stop him, however. He only thrusted harder, moving both hands up onto the old headboard.

Downstairs, Nick awoke with a start as a loud moan echoed from upstairs. He looked around in confusion at everyone else still asleep. There was silence again, and he assumed he had imagined it. His mouth was dry, so he walked toward the kitchen for a glass of water. As he passed by the stairs, the familiar sounds of a woman in total satisfaction drited down from the open door and he turned his head. "Damn, Ellis..." He muttered to himself, angrily going into the kitchen for a drink.

Ellis pressed his mouth to hers to keep her from yelling out again, happy with himself for knowing she couldn't help it. He pulled out of her and groaned against her lips as he came into the balled-up sheets. He sat up and she closed her eyes, already falling asleep. There were chunks of ripped up mattress all over the bed and in her hair like snow. ******

There are many people who believe that three o'clock in the morning is the Witching hour. One person in the cabin believed that so firmly that they sat waiting for it to approach before starting their plan. The man left his room and walked around out back. The cold air was threatening an early snow as he hefted several large sacks of sugar onto the back of a four-wheeler. He drove around the perimeter of the house and dropped the bags with two or three piled up on each other. Taking a pocket knife from his jacket, he stabbed into the bags. As soft white sugar spilled out, he struck a match and dropped it, the paper igniting. As the sugar began to melt and carmalize, a sweet scent wafted up into the air. The figure repeated this at each stop around the house and walked back inside before anyone was the wiser.

* * *

><p>Kaylee woke up as dawn broke, nose sore from where she had passed out on the table. She shuffled sleepily into the kitchen for juice when movement out of the window caught her eye. The front yard was swarmed with wandering witches. Her breath caught in her throat as she backed away from the window.<p>

There were at least forty of them, all moving slowly around the cabin, clutching their heads and weeping quietly. Their long nails stretched all the way over their heads and all she could imagine was those long nails digging deep into the skin of Nick's back, blood spraying out in showers. Before she could scream and alert them all at once, a hand clapped over her mouth. The rings on the fingers told her it was Nick. Her heart was pounding so hard in her chest she thought it might burst from within her.

"Don't say a word." Nick whispered harshly.

He turned her away from the windows and she saw everyone else was already awake, downstairs, and dressed. They all had guns and even Alan was holding his grenade launcher. He still had no grenades for it, so she could only imagine what he had put inside.

Zack walked over to her. "Kaylee, get into the bathroom and don't come out until we come and get you."

She nodded and Nick removed his hand from over her mouth. The bathroom door closed and locked so fast that many were hardly aware that she had run in there already.

"I never seen so many cryin' girls in one place before." Ellis muttered, holding his gun firmly.

"This doesn't look good." Coach said, walking over to the window. "Shooting one would startle them all and it don't look like they're leaving any time soon."

"We have to kill them." Morgan spoke strongly, stepping forward. "Anyone with shot guns, get right behind them and fire into the full of their backs."

"Where did you learn that from?" Zack asked.

Keith raised his hand and grinned, "I been killin' enough shit lately to come up with good plans. Cryin' bitches go down if you crown 'em."

"Well let's do this." Ellis barked, clicking the safety off of his rifle.

Nick picked up a shot gun, "I want to get some revenge." He cocked the gun. "Open the door, Coach."

Nick charged down the stairs first, all his built-up anger boiling to the surface as he rammed the tip of his gun against the nearest Witch's back and fired, blowing her rib cage apart as chunks of her frail body exploded in a red rain in front of her. There were countless high pitched wails from the Witches around her as they all turned in agitation.

Keith blew out of the door next, firing into the bony chest of the next one that approached, stumbling her. He kicked her with his steel-toed work boot and fired again into her head when she went down, painting the grass red.

Rochelle fired up close just as Nick had, dropping the Witch before she could even turn around. When another nearby ran at her with claws outstretched, her gun jammed and wouldn't fire. The claws raked her shoulder as she raised her gun and forced it into the harpie's open mouth with all her strength. This time when Rochelle squeezed the trigger, it fired and covered her in blood and bits of puffy gray matter and skull fragments. Rochelle wiped her face with her glove and ran at the next Witch.

Morgan ran out behind Ellis and they stood back to back, Witches surrounded from both sides. They each unloaded bullets as fast as the guns would fire, tearing the witches away before they could strike.

Coach pull-started a chainsaw he'd grabbed from the nearby wood pile. "Come on and get me!" He yelled, drawing a Witch towards him. He pushed the shredding machine through her exposed stomach as she clawed at his chest, doing no more than shredding his shirt before her insides had fallen out of her back in minced pieces.

Alan stood alone nervously, watching three witches run at him. Their eyes were red with anger and his were wide with fear. Then he smiled, raised his grenade launcher onto his shoulder and fired. Forks and knives blew out of the front and impaled the monsters with a scatter-shot of fine cutlery. Eyes popped open and bled as they stumbled and fell over. He fist-pumped the sky and reached into his heavy pocket for another handful of silverware.

Zack climbed up onto the roof from the wood pile and ran across to the other side of the house where other witches had gathered. He bounced an unlit molotov in his hand and smiled. "Hey, Bitch face!"

The Witches below looked up and screamed.

"Welcome to Salem!" He called. He lit the molotov and chucked it down. They went up as easily as dry paper and ran around clawing at their own burning skin as they collapsed onto the ground.

Coach cut a Witch in half with one easy slice, then turned around to drive his spinning blade through another. The halved witch growled as she lay dying but would not go down without a fight. With the last of her strength, she rammed her claws through his upper leg, barely passing bone as her fingers emerged through the other side. Coach bellowed in pain, his own blood pouring down his leg as her dead weight added to the pressure. Two more witches were charging him and he was about to go down when Alan ran out in front of him and fired his silver scatter shot again.

Coach choked and carefully cut the witches fingers off from the outside of his leg and Alan pulled her arm out. Coach fell down onto his good leg and turned off the chainsaw. "Just go." He panted.

"No." Alan said firmly, reloading his launcher with a fistful of nails he'd borrowed from Ellis' tool kit. "Friends don't leave friends behind."

And Alan stayed by Coach, defending him as the battle raged on.

* * *

><p>Kaylee cowered in the bathroom with her hands over her ears as she heard the Witches scream and the guns fire. She could only imagine the massacre outside, her friends all being shredded by those horrible claws. It all became so overwhelming. She threw open the bathroom door, only to run into Dave's hardened chest. She looked up at him, whimpering in confusion. He grabbed her and forced her down the stairs into the darkened basement, throwing her against the wall into the corner.<p>

"I summoned the Witches, Kaylee. They are drawn by the smell of sugar." He smiled. "Did you know that?"

She shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"The Green flu was supposed to kill everyone. Nature doesn't want humans any more!" He laughed, obviously not well in the head. "I had to summon the witches to kill them so they wouldn't suffer when supplies ran out."

Kaylee stood up and tried to walk past him, "They need help!"

He grabbed her and threw her down again, "No!" Dave yelled. "No, they have to die! We all do! When the Witches have them killed, they will find us and we can die together." He smiled. "You won't have to die alone..." He squatted down and pet her hair.

* * *

><p>Keith and Ellis ran side by side as Witches chased after them. Keith grabbed a pitch fork from a hay pile and tossed it to Ellis. "C'mon, buddy! I got an idea!"<p>

"This'll be good!" Ellis laughed.

Keith jumped onto a four wheeler and gestured Ellis to jump on front. Keith throttled forward with Ellis hanging in with his legs, holding the pitch fork like a lance. He held it firm as it drove through each Witch that had chased them, skewering them like bits of pineapple for a barbeque. Ellis dropped the pitch fork as Keith swerved left and the witches fell over, all stuck together through their middles. Ellis and Keith cheered with their arms raised, hooting and hollering in victory.

Nick's entire body was plastered in blood but for once he didn't care. Revenge was sweet, and each spray of their blood on his suit was a spray of success. His gun clicked in his hands as he used his last shot and he threw it aside angrily. Another witch ran at him and he began to back up in fear. "Baby, can't we talk this out?" He smiled.

She hissed and rocked back on her heels, ready to cut into him. Suddenly, she lit up like a roman candle and fell to her back as burning fire melted her skin and sizzled her dry white hair. Nick looked up and saw Zack laughing his ass off while lighting up another molotov. "Burn the Witch!" He chanted.

Morgan ran toward the side of the house, shot gun in hand as a witch ran after her. It was gaining fast. Morgan focused her energy into feet as she had the day in the van, envisioning the muscles in her feet. She reached the wall and kicked off it, flipping over the witch. She landed on her feet and fired the shotgun, splattering the confused witch against the side of the logs. _Being infected might be an advantage I hadn't considered._Morgan smiled before running back around the house to keep fighting.

* * *

><p>Zack jumped down off of the roof and ran inside to get more bottles when he saw the bathroom door open. His heart pounded in fear but when he heard Kaylee's choked cries coming from the basement, he kicked the door open and barreled down the steep basement steps.<p>

His eyes met Dave's when the man turned around. He looked past him to see Kaylee crying in the corner, all huddled up with a dark circle around one eye.

"How is it you live?" Dave growled.

"I was just about to ask you the same thing." Zack sneered, pumping two blasts of his shot gun into Dave's stomach.

Dave shook and clutched his wound as blood and long gray tubes slid out of the gaping hole in his body and splashed against the floor. He fell forward onto the cold concrete floor and Zack pulled Kaylee up into his arms. She held him so tight that he thought she might never let go, and that was fine with him. He took her back upstairs and closed the basement door.

"He did this." Kaylee choked, her face buried into his shoulder.

"What?"

"Dave burned sugar to call the witches." She whispered. "He wanted to kill everyone."

"Nobody is going to hurt you." Zack promised, falling to his knees with her. "Not while I still have hands to protect you."

"I still love you." She whispered, clutching him tight so he wouldn't leave.

He held her head with one hand. "I love you too, Baby Doll. This isn't a fling, Kaylee. This is real. This is me saying I will always be here."

"I need you. Save me." She begged.

"I will." He promised.

* * *

><p>Rochelle stepped back, gasping for air as the last Witch fell. All around her was blood and gore, but her friends still lived. She fell down to the ground, body shaking in exhaustion. Her vision was blurry, but she could see Alan walking with Coach toward the cabin. A bloody hand reached down to her, covered in scars but warm. She took it and smiled at Keith as he helped her back inside.<p>

* * *

><p>Keith and Ellis took the news the hardest, having known Dave for years. They went down to see the body for themselves where they found plans scratched out on paper for how to attract witches. It backed up everything Kaylee had told them, and they could not turn a blind eye to such proof.<p>

The two men took on the task of burying Dave.

"He was a good man before this." Keith insisted after the deed was done. "Hard times change folks."

Rochelle touched his shoulder, "The important thing is that we survived."

"Y-yeah." Keith nodded. "I reckon that's true. I jut never thought..."

Ellis and Keith walked back outside and sat on the porch steps. Deciding it was better to leave them be, the others stayed inside. Alan treated Coach as well as he could, but the man would need time to heal. More than a few days.

Morgan sat with Kaylee by the fire, holding a cool rag against her friend's eye. "The swelling is going down already." Morgan smiled.

Zack paced the floor nervously, constantly looking out of the windows for more Witches, though none came.

"Zack," Rochelle sighed, "Would you sit down, you're making me nervous."

"Sorry." He replied, collapsing into the rocking chair.

* * *

><p>Ellis and Keith sat in silence a while, looking out at the piles of bodies.<p>

"You have a real keeper there, Ellis." Keith spoke after a while.

"I'd be lost if I lost her again." Ellis replied quietly, flicking the tab of his soda can. "She's sick."

"Sick with what?"

"Don't know. But some evil folks done it to her. We thought she overcame it but it is just dormant, I guess. She is like a hunter, Keith. I don't think she realizes it, but she walks a lot more quietly now and she does weird stuff with her hands."

"Like what?"

"She ripped up your mattress. Like, two big chunks out of the top."

"Does she attack people?" Keith asked witha worried expression.

Ellis shook his head, still looking at his can. "Naw, and I don't think she would. She has her mind back but whatever is in her blood changed some stuff."

"Why did she rip up my mattress?" Keith asked, finally opening his own soda.

Ellis finally broke a small smile. "Well uhh...I got lucky."

Keith punched his shoulder, "You dirty dog! Can't say I blame ya though. With no women yer lucky to have found one."

"That's not why I'm lucky." Ellis replied, "But it is a nice bonus. Real nice...I...I love her. Like I never loved a girl before. I want to find a cure for her."

Keith looked over at him, "Hey, man. You will. I'll drive ya'll up to that military base when yer buddy Coach mends."

"You sure you don't want to come with us?" Ellis asked.

"Tell you what," Keith stood up. "I'll consider it."

Ellis stood up as well and smiled at his war-torn looking friend. "Let's get back inside before any more cryin' girls show up."

"There's a smart idea."

"You wouldn't know a smart idea if it walked up and introduced itself to you." Ellis chuckled, still a little shaken up.


	24. These Damn Vampires

_Alan gave me a notebook today. He told me I should write in it about what I do everyday and that I will be happy later on when I have something to look back on. I don't really get what he's saying, but I guess I can give it a shot._

_Coach got sucker punched in the leg by a Witch this morning. She tore it up real good, shoved her fingers right threw him. But I'll be damned, he just pulled em out and kept on going! Once we got him inside, after all them Witches was killed, Alan did his best to try and treat him. But he didn't have all the stuff he needed, like splints and sewing up stuff. I don't know exactly what he said on account of Morgan dropped some stuff off the table and she bent over to pick it up. I was a little distracted, notebook._

_Well anyway, I came back into the conversation when Keith was talking about taking some people into town to get the supplies Alan needed and then come back. Kaylee and Rochelle wanted to go and Alan had to go, but Zack didn't feel safe I guess so he went with them too. There weren't enough room for everyone in the truck with Keith driving, so Alan and Zack had to sit in the back wearing two jackets each! It was funny I tell you what. I mean, I felt kinda bad at first, but then it got funny again. Keith says they should be back before night since it only takes about an hour and a half to drive there and Alan knows what he's looking for. Everyone brought guns even though Keith says he hadn't seen hardly any infected after their last drive, but I guess it is smarter not to trust Keith._

_Now it is just me, Morgan, Coach and Nick holding down the fort. I admit, it is a lot quieter without everyone here. But I do want them to come back soon because Coach keeps saying that he thinks it will snow. I never seen snow before so I am a little excited. If it does snow, I'm gonna go out and make a big snowball and try to hit Nick with it. He probably won't come outside in the cold so I will just sneak it in when he isn't watching me._

"What are you doing?" Coach asked Ellis from the couch where he had his sore leg propped on the coffee table.

Ellis looked up. He was sitting cross-legged in front of the fire place. "Writing in this notebook Alan gave me."

"Like a diary?" Coach laughed.

"No, it's more like a Captain's log. Alan said it would be good to have."

Coach smiled, "Well I won't bother you. Wait, those look like drawings."

"Yeah." Ellis smiled, walking up and showing Coach. "All good books have pictures so I been trying to draw in some on my own."

He took the notebook from Ellis and looked at it. The young man had surprisingly good hand writing and his doodles weren't bad either. "Is that a butt?" He asked with a chuckle.

"Yeah." Ellis laughed, "It goes with that part of my Captain's log. And that's you kicking a witch in the face."

"Why do I have a mowhawk?"

"Because I like to imagine you as Mr. T." He grinned.

Coach laughed and handed Ellis his journal back. "You go ahead and keep drawing. We got time to kill."

Ellis walked over and dropped his notebook on the floor. He laid down on his stomach and turned to a clean page. It seemed like he was done writing for now, as he was doing his best to draw a horse.

Nick walked in and tossed a box of crayons down next to Ellis. "Found those in the kitchen."

"Thanks, Nick!" Ellis smiled, opening them up and taking out a brown crayon for his horse.

"You sure like horses."

"They're my favorite animal. I used to go to the races sometimes. Car races too. I love racing." Ellis replied.

Nick chuckled quietly and walked back into the kitchen to continue looking around. The drawer he'd been going through was still open and might have other hidden treasures inside. As he began to go through it, Morgan walked in and pulled out a pot from the compartment under the stove. He watched her silently out of the corner of his eye as she went to the pantry for beef broth and cans of meat and vegetables.

"Making dinner?" He asked.

She looked over and smiled, "You're quite observant. It will take a while to make, so when dinner time actually strikes it will be ready."

"I'm a terrible cook." Nick laughed, finding a deck of cards.

"I'm sure you're not that bad."

"Oh I am." He assured her. "We had to remodel our kitchen after I almost burned it down while boiling water."

Morgan laughed, "Oh my. Okay, that is bad. Is there a can opener in there?"

"Yeah, here you go." He smiled, handing it to her.

Morgan busied herself with opening cans and draining vegetables in the sink. Nick continued to watch her while he went through the drawer. After draining two cans, she paused and placed her hands on the counter. She was staring wide-eyed at the emptied cans in front of her, blinking like she had something in her eye.

"You okay?" Nick asked.

"Ummm...yeah. I think so."

"What is it?"

"I can't see."

He dropped the pen he found and went over to her. He turned her head gently and looked at her eyes, deep blue. They seemed fine on the outside. "They don't look any different..."

"There...it is coming back." She blinked again, then looked at his wolf-like gray eyes. "Now I see you."

He dropped his hand from her chin. "Has that happened before?"

"No, not since I started feeling better." She replied, going back to her work.

"Aren't you concerned?"

"No, not really. It's fine now." Morgan shrugged.

Nick walked back to the drawer and closed it, taking what he wanted from the counter. "I'd offer you a hand but I might make something burst into flames."

She laughed quietly, "You can stay and help if you want to. I can find something for you that doesn't involve the stove."

"Sure." He smiled. This was an odd feeling. When he had been married, things hadn't felt so...average American family. There were constant arguments, broken plates, and crying...oh how she would cry. Nothing he did was good enough, so he had stopped trying or caring. But Morgan wanted him to help.

"You could start setting the table." She smiled. "There are plates over there and glasses in the cabinet in front of me. Luckily, Alan didn't take the spoons. They're in that drawer."

"This I can do." Nick grinned, taking the bowls and spoons first. He walked over to the large circular table and laid out nine bowls and nine spoons. It would be a close fit, but Coach would probably eat in the living room. Morgan had opened the cabinet for him by the time he came back. She was still opening cans when he stood behind her and reached up for glasses, their bodies touching briefly.

"Am I in the way? She asked, feeling his hips press against her back.

"Nah, I got it." Nick smiled, walking back to the table, a few glasses short of nine.

Morgan took out three more for him and handed them to him when he walked back up. Their hands touched and she looked up at him just as he looked at her. She smiled and he lowered his gaze, walking away with the rest of the glasses.

Ellis walked in and wrapped his arms around her waist. "What are you up to in here?"

She smiled, "I am making soup."

"It's still early though." Ellis replied, looking down at her work with his body pressed close.

"It takes a while. I want to simmer it."

Nick set the glasses down slowly, watching Ellis with a jealousy he would never admit to. It wasn't Morgan he was jealous of, not entirely. It was the connection between them, the warm acceptance that he'd never had. He couldn't remember ever seeing them act hostile toward each other and what he overheard the night before wasn't the sounds of the pathetic attempts of romance in the last few months of marriage. He sighed and began to straighten the line of the spoons, hoping she would give him something else to do.

Morgan lifted her head and kissed Ellis' jaw. "Go and keep Coach company, El. Nick can help me for now."

"All right." He smiled, giving her butt a pat with his hand before walking back out.

Nick smiled, "That means I'm not fired?"

Morgan tossed him an apron. "Come on, Nick. We have mouths to feed."

He looked at the white apron in his hand. "What's this for?"

"Well I don't want you to get stains on your last clean shirt." She giggled.

Smirking, he pulled it on and tied it. "Just tell me what to do."

* * *

><p>"Well, here it is!" Keith declared, cutting the engine outside the large hospital. It was several stories high and in a state of disrepair from raiding and other destruction, but if they were lucky the looters hadn't picked it clean.<p>

"Hey, I know you!" A familiar biker yelled.

Everyone turned around as they got out and looked in the direction of the voice. Francis, Bill, and Louis were sitting in the back of an empty ambulance with sandwiches in their hands. Francis was sitting with one leg hanging out of the back. He gave them a wave and Kaylee waved back enthusiastically.

"How is my hair?" Rochelle asked, turning to Kaylee.

"Very nice." Kaylee giggled. "Why?"

"Don't give me that smug face." Rochelle smirked.

Alan and Zack jumped out of the back of the truck and they all walked together toward the other three.

"What happened to the rest of your group?" Bill asked, standing up and brushing the crumbs from his shirt.

"We're all alive." Kaylee assured. "They're back at our safe house. Keith, this is Bill, Francis, and Louis."

"Good to meet you, Sir." Keith smiled, shaking hands with Bill.

"We came here to try and find some things I need to heal Coach." Alan explained. "Have you been inside yet?"

"Nope." Bill replied, "But we were about to check it out. Oh, before I forget..." He took out his wallet and pulled out a scrap of paper where he had written himself notes. "We found the road block you mentioned but everybody had cleared out. There was a tank there with a smoker but we took them both out pretty easily. They were in awful shape."

"Is that all you found?" Zack asked.

"We found some more files." Louis replied, "But Francis spilled coffee on them."

"I said I was sorry, all right?" Francis barked, picking up his shot gun. "Are we going in or what? I hate standing around."

"I'm with him." Keith replied, whipping out his pistols. "Let's get yer shit and get out."

Zack and Francis went in first with everyone close behind. Their shoes crunched on the broken glass of the front door. It was dark inside, but still light enough to see. There was paper scattered around all over the floors.

"Looks like the power is out." Bill spoke. "Head toward the stairs."

"I hate stairs." Francis growled.

"So do I." Rochelle sighed in agreement.

"No way." Francis smiled, "You hate things too?"

"I never really thought about it before but yeah, I hate things." She grinned.

"What else do you hate?"

"I hate the infected."

"Me too!"

"I hate hospitals."

"They're so stupid!"

"I hate that vest." She nodded.

He looked down at his vest then back up, "Hey now..."

"I'm joking." She smirked, walking past him. "I don't hate vests."

Francis cracked a small smile and continued after the others.

As they climbed the stairs up to the second floor, a wave of infected began to pour out of the hall way. Francis stood in front, a towering figure of over six feet, and fired into the swarm with his shotgun steady in his hands. Keith and Kaylee turned around from where they stood in the back as more infected began to lumber up the stairs. Keith held up his pistols and began to fire as Kaylee aimed her rifle. He squeezed the triggers in rapid secession. An infected had almost reached them when a bullet fired through one hazy eye and exploded out of the back of its newly shattered skull. It stumbled once and fell backwards, more infected trampling its corpse.

Bill and Louis moved to the railing and fired down the stairwell, trying to give Keith and Kaylee a hand. Rochelle and Alan were trapped between everyone else, unable to fire for the risk of hitting someone who didn't have the Green flu.

The blood-smeared hall in front of Francis was full of smoke from their guns' smoking barrels. He waved a hand in front of his face and turned back just as Keith and Kaylee were running back up the stairs.

"I thought you said this area was clear?" Rochelle glarred at Keith.

"Don't get mad at me, I said I hadn't come in here." Keith snapped.

"Hey!" Francis barked.

The group turned their attention to him and Francis looked at Keith. "Don't yell at her."

Without another word, Francis turned the corner around the hall and Alan followed suit with Louis and Bill behind him. Zack waited for Kaylee to reload and the three of them jogged down the hall after the others.

The backup generators here seemed to be on their last legs. The narrow halls ahead only had one sad light flickering overhead, illuminating blood smeared walls and rubble. Desks and chairs had been pushed in the middle of corridors as a blockade. Many hospitals had been hit the hardest with the infection turned rabid as the people being treated there turned. Daylight streamed in through windows that had the curtains pushed aside and let more sweet light filter in. Kaylee moved away from the others as they watched Alan's back while he searched for supplies. Something was calling out to her like an invisible radar and she had to investigate. The room she stepped into had a large window that overlooked the parking lot. This left the room fairly bright as her eyes slowly scanned. On the table beside the bed sat a large boquet of wilted flowers, a deflated helium balloon hanging down onto the ground like a hanged man. A gentle swoosh and beep filled the room with a white noise and upon looking at the bed, she discovered the cause. There was a man in the bed, maybe late twenties with bandages around his head and tubes running into his mouth and nose. The machine that was keeping him alive seemed to be running on the last precious bolts of power still in the hospital.

Kaylee walked closer to the bed and looked down at him as he slumbered in his never-ending dreams. She held her gun with one hand as she reached out the other to softly stroke his cheek. "You've slept through it all haven't you?" She smiled. "You're lucky. I bet nobody else has ever said that to a person in a coma. You didn't ever have to see the infected, did you? You never had to watched as the monsters from movies crawled out of the screen and into your life."

She watched his chest slowly rise and fall as the sad little machine did the only thing it knew how to do. The lump in her throat was hard to swallow as she imagined him in here all alone. She did not know how he had gone unnoticed, but it must've been something to do with the fact that he was always quiet and still. She had never seen an infected ravage for flesh. The attacks were always violent but never hungry. "You're machine wont last much longer..." Kaylee spoke quietly to herself, looking down at his puffy eyelids and unkempt hair. He would die slowly after the machine cut out.

After carressing his cheek with one bruised knuckle, she took a step back and pointed her rifle at the quiet man's head. "May the world beyond treat you kinder than this one." She whispered, squeezing the trigger. The machine flat-lined and she pulled it off of the wall, silencing the room for good.

When she stepped back into the hall, the others looked at her. "I got it." She spoke, feeling no more explanation was needed.

"What are you even looking for?" Francis sighed, stepping over a fallen pill cart to get to Alan.

Alan picked up a scalpel and examined it in the dim light, "This could come in handy."

Zack watched Alan with a sudden sense of unease.

"And peroxide." Alan continued, pushing aside a wheelchair. "Lots of it."

"That's the burning shit in brown bottles, right?" Francis asked.

"Yeah." Alan nodded.

Francis followed him down the hall as Alan dissappeared into an examining room. "I hate that stuff."

Bill flicked an ash from his cigarette and walked slowly after them, sweeping his rifle from side to side. The others were close beside him with the shared sense of fear lingering in the backs of their minds. The light that had been flickering above them finally cut out and they were bathed in darkness.

"Lights on." Bill ordered, flicking his on first as everyone else followed his lead.

At the end of the hall, Francis' light illumated a single pair of glowing eyes. He smirked confidantly as he aimed at the vast darkness. "Looks like one little guy wandered off all alone. Don't worry, Francis will send you to hell with the rest of them."

"Wait!" Rochelle whispered harshly, placing her hand on the barrel of his gun and forcing it down.

He looked over at her bitterly, "What's the big idea? You aren't some Infected rights activist are you?"

"No." She answered, pointing her light back up at the eyes. The lone pair was quickly joined by many more, all blinking open and glowing like a cat's with the light burning into their soft lenses.

"Oh here they come..." Alan choked, backing up into the safety of the group with his supplies in his arms.

The tide roared and hissed as they swung out their arms and ran down the hall toward the survivors. Everyone backed up behind the dismantled nurse's station, getting that narrow bit of counter in between them and the horde.

Blood sprayed out in thick chunks as teeth and bone blew from the side of an infected's cheek. It stumbled and continued to chase though its spongey brain was screaming in pain. It was stopped for good when a second shot took off an entire section of skull just above the eyebrow and covered several shambling people behind it with dark blood and puss. It is impossible to know what goes through an infected's mind when their lower intestines are forced through their back, only to sling around the torso of another behind it like thick, wet noodles. The world may never know what thought, if any, lurks their in their dying minds when they look down and their blackened hands paw helplessly at the dripping hole before falling to their faces...but the look on those faces before they shatter against cold tile is horrible. It is a look that is too human, a look of realization and pain. They were not killing wild animals. They were killing people...sick people, but people nonetheless.

Alan dropped to his knees in panic behind the counter as the firing above him showed no signs of ever stopping. A few bottles fell from his hands and he reached over to pick them up, only to find the corpse of some poor doctor laying in cold death. Alan grabbed the pills that rolled by the dead man's arm and quickly stuffed all he could into his pack. He looked back at the doctor and debated with himself as the others fought. _Is it worth the risk?_

"Where are they all coming from?" Rochelle yelled over the barrage.

No sooner had the words left her mouth than a long, thick tongue shot out of the darkness and wrapped around Zack, who had been standing closest to the edge of the station. It pulled him back so hard that his head struck the floor loud enough to be heard over the gunfire. The infected were drawn to the smell of the Smoker's tongue and ran after it, knowing that it had something loud in its grasp. They tore at Zack's exposed legs and arms, and it was only by luck that he managed to keep his head away as the Smoker realed him in like a fat fish. Kaylee called his name and Keith ran from the safety of the shield, firing both pistols with a look of anger on his scarred face.

His bullets struck the Smoker's throat and severed his intestine tongue. The wounds had not killed it, and it retreated back into the ajoining hall as the intestines began to reform within its body. Kaylee ran out after Keith, who was shooting at the zombies that were surrounding Zack. He was still hopelessly tied up in the stinking flesh rope, the burning smell of ash and tar sinking all the way into his throat. Zack turned his head as best he could and vomited onto the floor, wretching and writhing as the still-wiggling tongue tightened around him like a snake. Infected were dropping around him, soaking him with their hot blood. Splattered kidneys slapped against his chest and he vomited again, this time mostly just clear (though burning) stomach bile. It was worse than the time he threw up a cajan hot sauce packet.

Keith dropped down and pulled against the tubes, starting around Zack's chest so he could get more air into his lungs. Kaylee faced the other direction, firing her rifle at the swarm as they continued to be drawn in by the pile of severed tongue. Finally they were off of him and he rolled to his side holding his gut, gun laying on the floor several feet away. Keith jogged over to grab it for him as the Smoker returned with a fresh length of tongue. It planted itself firmly and shot again, tossing Keith through a pile of desks. It wrapped around his right ankle and began to pull. Unlike Zack, Keith kept a firm hold on his weapons. He rolled onto his back and allowed the Smoker to reel him in, firing at the Smoker's head with both guns blazing.

The smoke that poured from it rose up into the air ducts overhead, though Keith coughed as he hobbled back to where Kaylee had managed to pull Zack back up.

"There's no way I'm letting some fucking vampires take me down." Francis announced as finally the rush of infected ceased.

"Zombies, Francis." Bill corrected, reloading his rifle.

"Whatever!"

"Wait, where is Alan?" Louis asked, looking around for the missing medic.

Alan crawled out from under the counter wearing his new doctor's coat. "Right here."

"Alan, where did you get that?" Rochelle asked, raising an eyebrow at him as she held her knees to catch her breath.

"Where else?" Alan replied, "A dead doctor."

"God, you are messed up." Zack moaned, half of his weight being supported by Kaylee as they rejoined the others.

"I'm scavanging." Alan glarred. "What we have been doing since day one."

"Let's get out of here." Bill announced, stepping over dead zombies as he headed back in the direction they had come from. "Anything else in here isn't worth the risk."

"I agree." Louis nodded. "Keith, you okay?"

Keith looked down at his blood-soaked foot. "Well I'll be damed. It looks like some zombie bone went through my foot."

"That's a shattered elbow fragment." Alan spoke after a quick glance. "How did you not feel that go in?"

"I ain't got no feeling in that foot after an accident with three pounds of raw chicken." Keith replied.

"Can this wait until we are out of this stupid hospital?" Francis asked with a voice full of loathing.

"We could never take it out and it'd make no difference to me." Keith laughed.

"I'll pull it out when we get to the truck." Alan sighed. "It doesn't look like it is going anywhere."

Rochelle looked up at the hospital after they were once more in the safety of daylight outside. Now that she was listening for it, she could make out the quiet moans of the infected still inside as an unknown number still crawled through the deserted halls. A chill ran through her spine and she looked back at the ambulance where Alan was treating Keith's foot. Zack was sitting on the tail bed of the truck with Kaylee beside him, their arms interlocked.

"Good job in there." Francis said gruffly, approaching her.

She turned around and smiled. "You're not so bad yourself. I like your tattoos."

He looked down at the full sleeves that ran along his arms. "I don't hate 'em. You're going back to your safe house, right?"

"Yeah." Rochelle nodded, "I'm sure we could make room for you and the others if you want to come."

"Nah." He shook his head. "There's a military base ahead that Bill wants to check out. No sense in back-tracking."

"Maybe I will see you there." She offered, "Once we get Coach fixed up, that is where we are heading."

"We read some stuff on the walls of a safehouse about a day from here." Francis explained. "It said the base was protecting people. It's worth a shot I guess."

"A little hope is what keeps us going. It was good to see you again, Francis."

He smiled at her, an awkward movement for the muscles in his face. He felt like it came out looking like a mix between small child and serial killer. "You too, Rochelle. Uhh...don't die."

* * *

><p>Morgan wound some of the guaze Alan had left behind around Nick's hands as he sat like a wounded child on a chair in the kitchen. "No, it's my fault." She insisted. "I'm the one who told you to bring the hot put of soup over to the counter. I just assumed you knew enough about cooking not to grab it with your hands."<p>

"Hey, hey!" He inturrupted, "I warned you about the boiling water that ruined my kitchen."

"I'm proud of you for not dropping it all over the floor at least."

"Thank you."

The door to the cabin flew open as Keith charged in with the others behind him shaking with cold. Alan and Rochelle forced the door closed as Kaylee and Zack rushed to the open space by the fire. Ellis walked down the stairs to see Kaylee, Zack, Alan, and Rochelle all huddled together shaking violently in front of the flames.

"Hey, you're back!" He grinned. "Did you have fun?"

"Did...we..have...fun?" Zack snapped, teeth chattering as he shot Ellis a death glare.

"Well...did you?"

"Shoot, it was a hoot and a half!" Keith laughed, unzipping his jacket and tossing it onto an empty chair. "There were enough infected to hold a World Series!"

"Baseball?" Ellis asked.

"Naw, poker."

"I made soup." Morgan offered.

The four on the floor were still huddled and shivering and she wasn't sure if they had even heard her.

"Poker." Nick smiled, bending his fingers as he stood up. "Now there is a man's game."

"We should play tonight after we eat." Keith offered.

"I'm in." Ellis smiled, "But we need more people."

"If any girls want to play, we can make it interesting." Nick smirked.

"Hey, do I smell soup?" Alan asked, looking around once his face thawed.

"Yes!" Morgan grinned. "If you're hungry, I can start to dish some out."

They all squeezed in around the table, even Coach who insisted he was already feeling better. The soup was hot and tasted like beef and vegetables. It wasn't the best meal in the world, but it was hot, filling, and just what they needed.


	25. What It Means To You

Nick had struggled throughout the past few years of his life with an on-again and off-again case of insomnia. He used to have medicine he could take on nights when sleep wouldn't come, but cabins out in the Colorado wilderness didn't come with that luxury. He walked down the dark hallway and clicked on the bathroom light. As it hummed to life, he examined his face in the mirror. The cut above his left eyebrow was still healing but wasn't very noticeable and his stubble had gotten too thick for his liking. He splashed cold water on his face and lathered soap in his hands to act as shaving cream. They had a bag of disposable razors from the pharmacy and he picked one out to start the task of making his face more smooth and acceptable. He felt that he looked younger without the five o'clock shadow.

When he finished, he put his razor away and wiped his face. The work was good, no cuts. Sure, it wasn't as smooth as he used to get it back home, but it would do. After shutting off the light and stepping out, he heard voices coming from the kitchen. Pausing to listen more closely, he realized it was Kaylee and Morgan. He moved out of the hall and sat down at the bottom of the stairs, out of their view but still within earshot.

"Tell me a story." Kaylee asked, sitting on the tile floor with her back pressed against the counter.

"What story?" Morgan asked, opening the box of crayons Ellis had hardly touched.

"I don't care. Something happy, but no romance. I'm tired of romance." Kaylee smiled.

Morgan let out a quiet laugh and sat down in front of the plain white wall on the other side of the kitchen. "All right...give me a minute to think."

"Something to chase away our bad dreams."

"You mean our existence?" She chuckled, tearing the paper off a blue crayon. "Okay. I think I have one."

Kaylee pulled her white-suited bear close to her chest and watched Morgan as the girl began to draw with the crayons on the wall. At first, it was nothing more than a blue line that slowly swirled around. She added more lines with green and purple, then began to speak softly.

"Long ago, there was no land. The oceans of the world were all one and they flowed into each other with the ever-changing tides. Their vast waters brought life to all sorts of creatures and plants and everything in between.

The wind played alongside the water and would brush gently against her, creating waves. These two existed in harmony with one never pushing too hard against the other."

"I thought this wasn't romantic?" Kaylee questioned, laying down and using the bear as a pillow. Morgan's swirls had slowly transformed into water with the first of a long and elegant koi in sketched lines.

"It has only just started." Morgan smiled. "Patience."

"Okay." Kaylee smiled.

"Lower than the water lurked a great evil. It was hot and firey like the golden sun but more violent."

"The Earth's core?"

"Yes, the Earth's core. Do you want to hear my version or not?" Morgan laughed.

"I'm sorry, continue."

"The fire in the middle of the Earth grew envious of the harmony between the sea and sky. It began to push against the wide ocean, trying to draw her attention away from the wind above. But it was useless. The two had played together so long that the sea easily changed her shape to go around the fire. Eventually it pushed so hard that it broke past the ocean and created land. Now the land could see the sky that the ocean had grown to..." Morgan paused and looked at Kaylee, who was giving her a smug glare. "Admire. In a friendly way."

Kaylee laughed. Now the water and Koi on the wall were complete and Morgan had to stand to continue drawing on the wall. She was adding in lighter colored swirls to the top that carried flower petals in its breeze.

"Instead of fight back, the sky and water welcomed the land to their world. The ocean would rise against its shores in a welcoming embrace and the sky scattered seeds across the surface of the land. When the land had lived so long with fire, it had come to only know hatred and self-loathing. But the wind and water greeted him like an old friend and he pushed no more against them. They all lived together in the new world, each bringing their own wonderful gifts to bring happiness to the others."

Morgan stepped back and looked at her wax mural. A combination of the four elements, with the fire lurking at the bottom and the wind floating happily on top. "Even fire was welcomed on the surface, bringing warmth to the creatures that frolicked in the fresh air and drank from the water's streams. Each had a place, and not even the darkness of night could seperate them. Because even though they could not see each other, all felt each other's presence and were comforted by it. They knew that at the end of each night, the dawn would come again and their play would never end..."

She turned around and saw Kaylee looking at the picture and smiling. "I liked that story."

"I did too. Do you want to try and sleep now? Knowing Coach, he'll be up bright and early, limping around and barking orders."

Kaylee got up slowly and stretched. "That's probably true. Wake me up when you get up, if I'm not awake already."

Morgan nodded and Kaylee walked back into the living room with the others. Coach was fast asleep on the couch, Alan in the easy chair, and Zack and Rochelle were both laying on the mattress by the fire that Keith and Ellis had drug out of Dave's room. Kaylee crawled into the space between the two of them and snuggled up against Zack's back.

Nick watched her from the shadow as she walked past. He stood up after she laid down, intending to go back to his chair in the corner to try once more and sleep. But his curiousity was getting the better of him and he stepped into the kitchen to see what Morgan had been drawing while she told her story. Morgan had her back to him when he walked in, and didn't acknowledge if she had heard him. She was making slow and precise strokes with an orange crayon, adding glimmers of shine to the koi's scales. He didn't understand why she was bothering, since they would be leaving and she couldn't take an entire wall with her.

But the more he looked at it, the more he felt...connected to it. He felt his own presence in the drawings of the fire, full of anger and greed. Fire burned all it touched and only knew destruction...something he had been doing for too long. As he moved his eyes up, he saw Kaylee and Rochelle in the water, always moving and staying positive. They brought hope with them, just as a mirage brings hope to a dying man in a desert. Coach and Zack were the land, two men firm in their beliefs who were built to be unbreakable; Though any stone may crack when hit hard enough. Alan was in the petals floating on the wind. They were not powerful or strong, but carried a message of tranquility and healing. Ellis was the air in Nick's eyes, always floating just over trouble, never quite touching down on the real problems the group faced.

_Is this what people see when they look at art?_ He wondered to himself as he looked intently at the mural while she silently added little details. _Do other people feel so...part of the things they look at?_

"You probably think I'm silly for wasting my time on this." Morgan smiled, still adding thin strokes to the Koi's whiskers. "But I'm not very tired tonight and I'll go crazy unless I keep these hands busy."

"Where are you?"

"Huh?" She turned around to look at him.

"Where are you, in this...thing?" Nick asked again.

"Why would I be in it?" She chuckled.

"You drew everyone else in it."

"Nick, you aren't making any sense. I think you should get to sleep." Morgan smiled. "We have a big day tomorrow. That base is either freedom or Hell on Earth."

"I mean, I know they aren't literally drawn here." Nick continued, walking up and touching it with his hands. "You'd run out of crayons before you even finished half of Coach. You're more artistic than me, yet I can still see everyone in it but you."

She folded her arms and looked at the drawing. "Art is what you make of it, Nick. If you can see everyone you love in it, then that is what it is to you. To me, it's just another drawing."

"Wait, everyone I love? Morgan, let's not get-" But when he turned around to look back at her, she had already walked out of the room. He furrowed his brow and looked back at the wall, suddenly finding it hard to see the meaning that was there a moment ago.

* * *

><p>"Everyone, c'mon and get up!" Coach declared as he threw back the curtains in the living room. "Important day today. Let's get to the base as fast as we can."<p>

Kaylee pulled her bear over her face to shield her eyes from the harsh sun. "Coach! It's early! We want to sleep!"

Rochelle sat up slowly, her hair flattened against one side of her face, "Coach, in case you forgot while in your delicate state...we spent all damn day yesterday fighting zombies!"

"We've spent the past month and a half fighting zombies!" He barked. "Stop complaining and brush your teeth. I want to be on the road in an hour."

Zack rolled over and wrapped an arm around Kaylee, burying his face into her soft blonde hair to keep the light out.

Alan walked in from the kitchen, a bowl of dry cereal in his hands. "The art fairy visited us last night." He pointed.

"The what?" Coach asked, walking in to see what Alan was talking about.

The two of them stared at it for a minute when Nick walked in looking bitter about the loud awakening. "When we cure this damn infection, you'd make a killing as an alarm clock." He growled at Coach. "With your ceaseless blarring."

"You're the wise guy who gave Ellis crayons. Look, the boy went and drew all over the walls."

Nick looked over at Morgan's mural. Something was different than before but he was too tired to figure it out. "Who cares, it isn't our house. I'm making coffee."

"Alan, go wake up the lovebirds." Coach asked, taking down a can of coffee grounds for Nick.

"Why do I have to?" Alan pouted. "What if they sleep nude or some other gross thing?"

"I thought doctors made a buisness of seeing people naked?" Nick muttered, scooping coffee into the maker.

"You two are just doing this because you hate me. I know that's why." Alan muttered, dragging his feet as he moved to the stairs.

Keith walked in from outside, shaking off the cold. "Good morning, fellow survivors." He waved to the cranky people in the living room. "I scraped the frost off the windshield so we're all ready to go!"

"Oh God, did it snow?" Rochelle gasped.

"Nope." He shook his head. "But it got cold enough in the night to leave a little frost. It ain't no thing, Darling."

"I'm not your darling." She warned, pointing her comb at him.

He raised his hands in surrender and walked into the kitchen. "Everything is ready, Coach, Though most of you will have to hop in back."

"Can this day start out any better?" Nick asked the ceiling.

"You might want to take some of that coffee in a thermos." Keith suggested.

Alan jogged quickly down the stairs, tails of his Doctor's coat flapping against his heels. "They'll be down in a minute."

"Thank you, Alan." Coach smiled.

"You owe me." Alan warned, pointing a finger at him.

"What's the matter?" Nick chuckled, "Did you see his Little Peanut?"

"No." Alan glared. "They were both awake and dressed when I walked in."

"Well I'm glad they're on the ball. Now if we could wake up everyone else." Coach replied, boxing up one crate of food to take with them just in case.

Once everyone had gathered in the living room, Keith and Alan started handing out all the clothing they'd taken from various dressers around the cabin. Kaylee pulled on a large black sweater over her tee shirt. It was long enough to reach her thighs and she twirled once to see if it spun like a dress. It didn't, but she loved it anyway. After Rochelle zipped up her red jacket, she helped Kaylee roll up her long sleeves. Nick took off his suit jacket and pulled a form-fitting gray turtleneck over his head. He tugged the collar, trying to get comfortable in the wool fabric.

Zack got trapped in his white sweater, flailing around with his arms trapped as he tried to find the neck hole. He bumped into the coffee table and almost fell when Alan grabbed him by the back of his collar and pulled the sweater down. Zack gasped for air and then laughed, looking down at his new turtle neck. "Hey, this isn't that bad. I feel like I'm being hugged by a sheep."

"Ellis, you make sure you grab a jacket too." Coach said, holding one out for him.

"Thanks, Coach. I found some long john's upstairs so I'm wearing them under my clothes." Ellis smiled, pointing at the red sleeves showing under his shirt.

"You found a stranger's full-body underwear and you put them on?" Nick sneered.

"I got my boxers underneath."

Morgan buttoned up her flannel shirt before pulling on a black jacket. "I think we're good to go."

"I can fit two people in with me." Keith spoke. "The rest of you are in back."

"Shotgun!" Alan shouted.

"Me too!" Rochelle followed up before anyone else could fight over it. Her and Alan high-fived while everyone else sighed.

Zack gave one last look at the cabin as they drove away, stiff witch corpses still scattered around in various states of early decay. He wondered what they would find at this base, if anything was still there at all. A bump in the road nearly knocked him over the edge, and as he rebalanced himself, he quickly forgot what he'd been thinking about.

Kaylee laughed and scooted up close to him. "Careful, Zack. We aren't sailing smooth roads any more."

"Yeah I noticed." He grunted, rubbing his sore tail bone.

"How's your leg today, Coach?" Ellis asked.

"Don't worry about me. It's nothing worse than any of my old football injuries." He replied with a chuckle.

"I find it hard to believe that you were stabbed out on the field." Nick said.

"Did you ever play football, Nick?" Coach asked him with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, no."

"Seen a game?"

"Maybe a glance from a tv at a pool hall..."

"Then how the hell would you know?" Coach laughed.

"It's okay, Nick." Morgan smiled, patting his leg. "I'm sure you did something noteworthy in high school. Maybe greased back your hair and fell for a girl named Sandy?"

"Oh very funny." He growled, looking away from them and out at the mountains as Keith rounded a corner between tall pine trees.

Morgan quietly slipped a scrap of paper into his pocket while he was distracted, and did so when nobody else was even glancing her way.

"How long did it take you to reach town yesterday?" Ellis asked Kaylee.

"Maybe an hour." She shrugged. "It wasn't too bad. Well, the ride wasn't. The hospital was horrible."

* * *

><p>Keith stopped the truck as they approached the town. The sight developing before them was almost unbelievable. Two large helicopters were circling over head, firing down at the infected with large machine guns. (At least that's what they looked like). There were two large trucks on the ground below, built up like tanks. As infected fell to the ground beneath the barrage, soldiers poured out of the trucks and began picking up the bodies and carrying them to the backs of the armored vehicles.<p>

"What the hell is going on?" Coach asked, jumping out of the back and standing tall as he watched the military men rounding up infected like cattle. Everyone else followed after Coach, getting out and staring as if they were looking at the scene of some terrible accident. The truck nearest them was closed back up after several infected had been carried inside.

"Hey!" Keith yelled to them ,waving his arms. "Over here!"

Nick grabbed onto him and forced him down, "Are you crazy? Those could be more look-alikes! Didn't we already explain to you twice what those people did?"

But it was too late, one of the soldiers had spotted Keith already and was radioing someone. A circling helicopter stopped firing and flew toward the nine survivors, creating a vicious wind tunnel around them as it hovered overhead.

"Are. You. Immune?" A man's voice asked from behind a megaphone.

"Yes!" Coach called back. "We've fought our way here all the way from Georgia!"

The helicopter hovered for a few agonizing minutes as the people below waited in anticipation and fear. There was a sound of crackling as the unknown soldier turned his megaphone back on. "Stay where you are. We are sending a squad equipped for carriers."

The helicopter gained altitude and turned around, flying back over the city. The two tanks and the other chopper had already gone away.

"I don't like this." Morgan whimpered, holding her arms.

"Morgan, it'll be okay." Kaylee smiled, touching her shoulder. "We're immune."

"You're immune." She corrected. "We don't know what's wrong with me. If they find out I have that virus, they'll put me against a wall and give me the firing squad."

"Hey!" Nick interrupted. "Nobody is getting shot. If they can't help us, we will just be on our way."

"You really think they would let us all walk away with a carrier with us?" Coach barked.

Morgan began to shake in fear. Ellis took her into his arms and held her close. "Coach, stop it!" He yelled, "You're scarin' her."

Before more words could be exchanged, a third tank rolled over the rubble of the destroyed town and parked a few feet away. Two soliders climbed out, dressed in the uniform of the United States military.

"Please, come with us peacefully. We mean you no harm." The older gentleman asked as they approached. He had a tired face and soft green eyes.

"Where exactly are you trying to take us?" Coach asked, stepping in between his group and the soldiers.

"You're the group that went with three men through the hospital here yesterday, correct?" The general asked.

"You mean Bill, Francis, and Louis?" Coach asked.

"Yes sir. They arrived at the base yesterday and shared vital information with us about what you've discovered and gone through. We have been clearing the path to the base since early this morning in preperation for your arrival."

"Wow, rolling out the red carpet, I see." Nick sneered as he eyed the roads painted with infected blood.

"We have precious little time to waste, survivors. The country needs your help."

"Wait...what?" Rochelle asked, standing beside Coach. "The country? What the hell are you talking about?"

"My superior can explain our situation when we return. If there is good we can do, we have to move fast."

They reluctantly agreed to go with the soldiers. They were all moved into the back of the armored vehicle and sat down, a shared sense of unease among them. The engine roared to life and they felt the machine rolling away from Keith's truck and through the burning town. Morgan buried her face into Ellis' chest as he kept his arms tight around her. Kaylee leaned against Zack with his arm around her shoulder, holding her gun tight in her hands in case she had to start shooting.

Zack closed his eyes in the dim light, not wanting anyone to know how truely terrified he was. He kept trying to force himself awake, like this whole encounter had been a bad dream. After all, he'd gotten himself into bad situations before so who was to say this wasn't a guilt-induced nightmare? He was in a karma coma, that's what he thought of it. The way he openly mocked Kaylee her senior year for things she hadn't done was finally coming back to kick him where it hurt. At the time, he'd always thought making her feel as bad as he did would make him feel better but it never did. Now he was trapped, and no matter how hard he dug his nails into his palm, the nightmare just wouldn't end.

Nick sat nervously rubbing his hands together. He felt like a man awaiting a death sentence. Though deep in his heart, he knew he had deserved it. All those nights coming home late with alcohol on his breath and blood on his knuckles...all the times he'd yelled at her for asking him questions he didn't want to answer...they were meager additions to the sign hanging around his neck that read 'guilty'. Nobody could see it but him, but he always felt its weight growing every day. He looked up and saw a slender figure in the shadows crying into Ellis' chest. _No..._He thought to himself. _She can see it too. I have to know what that stupid painting meant. I have to ask her how the hell she knows about my life. I'll get that chance if I have to kill for it. What is one more addition to a death sentence anyway?_

Rochelle looked out of the small window in the back of the tank-like machine, feeling oddly hopeful even in this tense situation. She trusted Francis, and if he had told these people about them then it must be good. There were many unanswered questions floating around in her mind but that soldier had said that their country needed them. The look in his eyes when he said it was genuine, and her feelings about people were rarely wrong.

Ellis ran his hand up and down Morgan's back, trying to calm her down. She hardly ever cried and he wasn't sure how to react to it, but she seemed to be calming down on her own. He promised himself that he wouldn't let her go again, but as the vehicle continued to roll over the ground, he felt that promise growing more and more dangerous. He held her a little tighter, laying his head against hers. "We're going to be okay." He whispered. "I know we will."

Alan sat in silence, fiddling with his scalpel between his fingers. _I've been watching her for over a week now. She doesn't look sick, so it would be easy to lie. If they run scans, they may find something. If one of those men already told them she was sick, then we have to let them check her out. If she is in any way a threat, they will kill her. Then they would test all of us to be safe. We might all be carrying an experimental nerve-eating disease. We will all die._

Kaylee was watching Alan with fear in her eyes, afraid of his eerie blank stare as he rolled his sharp instrument between his fingers. There was something very haunting about the way he seemed paralyzed by his own thoughts and it only added to her sudden sense of claustrophobia.

Nobody had even noticed when the truck stopped and the doors opened. Everyone seemed lost in their own minds, paralyzed by their individual fears and worries.

"Come with me." The General spoke, stirring them.

The walked off slowly, looking around at their new surroundings. The base had high walls and barbed-wire fences. There were several trucks matching the one they had been in, but most looked like they no longer moved. As the General walked them ahead, the large concrete building came into view. There were small windows only on the floors not at ground level, reminding Kaylee of an oddly-shaped castle. All around them, young men in uniforms were running around on various drills and none seemed to take any notice of the survivors.

Once inside, the atmosphere changed. It was built like a hospital inside, everything clean and in its place. "Everyone in this end of the building is immune." The General explained. "On the other side are where those being treated are kept."

"Treated?" Coach asked. "People with the infection?"

"That is correct. Our scientists have been working tirelessly and just last week we have discovered an antibiotic that will attack the virus that is causing the infection. Those we are treating now show signs of recovery, though it is still too soon to be positive."

"That's...that's great news." Coach smiled.

"Earlier you said you needed our help." Rochelle interrupted, walking right next to the General. "What do you mean?"

"As you must be aware, we have quickly lost almost the entire east coast to the infection." The General explained. "My men here have been doing a more than acceptable job protecting the people inside as well as capturing infected subjects to be tested and treated."

"But?" Nick asked.

"But...we have no means of communicating our successes with the bases that still stand along the east coast, namely the one that is harboring our President. Time is quickly running out, and we have lost all communication with that base. In a matter of weeks, they will run out of food and ammunition supplies."

"What exactly are you asking of us?" Coach asked.

The General turned around once they were inside a waiting room-type area. There were chairs and cots set up around the space with bookshelves and coolers of water.

"We need messengers to deliver our cure to that base. You nine have already proven yourselves as capable. The mission is dangerous; I won't lie about that. It would mean going back into heavily infected territory. Our helicopters would only be able to get you halfway there. Your very nation is at risk of falling to this disease, survivors. We are calling on you as our country's last chance. Even with our cure, we would perish if we can't circulate it before these people mutate any farther."

"I don't know." Coach sighed, rubbing his neck nervously. "Some of us have only barely made it through this. I don't know if we would make it."

"We only need five of you. You have tonight to talk it over amongst yourselves, but need I remind you of what is at stake?"

"No, I think we got it." Nick said with a firm raise of his hand.

"One last thing." The General spoke. "Which one of you is the sick girl?"

Morgan stepped away from Ellis, "I am, sir."

"We would like to run some tests."

"I understand." She answered.

Morgan followed the second soldier as he led her down the hallway.

The General looked at Coach, "I will return in a few hours for your answer, bringing news of your friend as well."

"What if she is...sick?" Kaylee asked, walking right up to him.

"I assure you that if we find something wrong, no matter how bad, you will get the chance to say goodbye."

"Thank you..." She whispered, lowering her head.

* * *

><p>They remained in the room the General had left them in, exchanging little conversation. They had all decided to wait until they were all together before even considering the idea of splitting up. But the long wait would be a slow and painful one, even with books to read.<p>

Nick sat down on a cot by himself away from the others, trying to sort through everything that had happened today in his mind. He slid his hands into his pockets after taking off his sweater and felt something poke his finger. Upon pulling it out, he realized someone had stuck a folded-up note in his pants pocket when he wasn't looking. He unfolded it carefully in his fingers, spreading out each fold before reading it.

_You ask me why I was not in my art. Last night was not the time to explain and chances are that if you are reading this without me here, then this is not the right time either. _

_I know if you think hard enough, you'll understand. You're a smart man, Nick. You just make poor choices. Then again, haven't we all? I've seen that look in your eyes, Nick, when you would look at me. You wanted to die at some point, didn't you? I think out of everyone, you must've done a lot of things you regret. _

_When you asked me why I wasn't there, I knew at long last that you had finally come to trust us. No, not us...them. I am an unknown to you, a force that you don't understand. It makes you angry. It is because I can see you for what you are: a man who hates himself._

_Let go of your anger, Nick. You don't have to like me but you can trust me. You can make up for the things you've done if you actually want to. Don't leave them behind, Nick. Because if the chance to be a good man comes and you don't take it, you'll never know why you couldn't see me in that drawing. Because I will never tell you what you already know._

He read the note three times over before folding it up and returning it to his pocket. As the others finally began to talk, he did his best to be invisible. There was a lot to think about and now the clock was ticking.

"I want to go." Kaylee announced.

"What?" Coach asked.

"To deliver the cure. I want to be one of the five that go."

"Kaylee, I can't let you risk something like that." Zack gasped.

"So come with me. We're in the best shape we've ever been in from as far as we've come." Kaylee said, grabbing his hands.

"Okay, fine." He growled. "I'll go. I know I can't stop you from doing something you've made up your mind about."

"Yeah, I'll go." Ellis agreed. "I want to wipe out that infection so I can come back here. I want to make the best country in the world safe again."

"I knew you would be brave enough, Ellis." Kaylee smiled.

"We don't even know what we are running into." Nick said, standing up. "They could be tossing us out of an airplane with an envelope for all we know."

"Well if they think we have even a small chance, they'll give us parachutes." Kaylee replied.

"Before we get all high and mighty, let's wait for him to come back." Coach sighed.


	26. The Messengers

The group had only waited for about twenty minutes when a nurse came in to talk to them. She was round and jolly with a kind face and soft red hair.

"Hello, everyone." She smiled, holding a clip board in one hand. "My name is Linda and I'm here to take you in for decontamination. You look fairly clean right now but you can never be too safe. If you'll all just come with me, we can get this over with nice and quick."

They all got up and followed her down the hall. The men went with another nurse and Kaylee and Rochelle stayed with Linda. The room they entered next reminded Kaylee of the old YMCA she had gone to once during a hurricane. The room was tiled all the way up the walls with rows of silver lockers.

Linda had them remove all of their clothing down to their underwear (Which they got to keep on until walking into the showers). The water was hot and refreshing, even if it didn't have the privacy Kaylee would have liked. Her hair and skin were scrubbed so hard that she felt an inch thinner after she got back out. The look on Rochelle's face as they both stood in their towels told Kaylee she felt the same way.

"Okay, ladies." Linda smiled. "We have some fresh clothes for you right here. You'll have to pardon the look of them."

Kaylee took the clothing she was handed and got dressed. The pants were black and form-fitting, made from a soft cotton by the feel. Her shirt was white and somewhat loose, but felt good and didn't look terrible. She sat down on a nearby chair to lace up the plain black sneakers she had been given. Rochelle did the same and after a few minutes, both girls were clean and ready to go.

"Feeling better?" Linda asked.

"You have no idea." Rochelle smiled.

"One last thing, we have to test you both for the flu."

"But we don't have the flu." Kaylee spoke up.

"You don't have symptoms." Linda corrected. "You're either entirely immune or carriers of the disease. For your safety, we have to run a quick test to see which."

"That makes sense." Rochelle replied. "Let's get this over with."

"What happens if we're carriers?" Kaylee asked.

"You would be taken to the doctors right here on base for medication. After a few days, the infection would be out of your system for good."

"And we would be okay after that?"

"Yes." Linda laughed. "That's why we call it the cure. Nearly everyone brought here as a carrier has made a full recovery thanks to our new antibiotics."

"Does it work on people with the infection?" Rochelle asked.

"We are still watching the results. So far, the few infected individuals we are treating are taking very well to this new medicine. It will be a while before we know if they will be as good as new, but the important thing is that our antibiotics can destroy the virus in carriers." Linda explained as they walked into an examination room.

Kaylee sat down on the examination chair, brown paper crinkling when she shifted her weight on it. Rochelle waited her turn by the door. Linda took out an empty syringe. "All I need is a small blood sample and you can go into the nicer holding room."

"Okay." Kaylee nodded. She looked away when her blood sample was taken then waited in the hall for Rochelle.

Linda lead them into a nicer room a few doors down that was set up like the one they had waited in first. The couches in here were much nicer and there was a television hooked up to an XBOX. Kaylee was thrilled at the sight, running over and sitting down in front of it. She turned it on and picked up the controller, bouncing up and down.

Rochelle sat down beside her and they looked through the small collection of games, trying to decide what to play first.

The men rejoined them a short time later, all piling in and claiming a couch or chair for their own. Ellis' hat was gone and he seemed to miss it. He kept running his hand through his hair, frowning. Keith didn't seem to mind losing his hat. He laid down on his stomach beside Kaylee and the two of them turned on a racing game.

Coach put his feet up in the recliner and watched the tv screen with a tired face. Alan laid down face first on the couch, his hair still damp from his shower. Nick remained standing, watching Kaylee and Keith while he drank from a paper cup of water. Zack claimed the other couch, laying on his back and flipping through a home and garden magazine.

"How embarrassing." Nick smiled after a moment. "We're all wearing the same thing."

"It's like we're a poorly styled team of super heros." Kaylee laughed, bumping Keith as she drifted past him in her hot pink sports car.

"Men were not meant to wear sweat pants." Ellis complained. "They could've given us briefs for crying out loud."

"I don't mind a little free ballin'." Alan laughed, turning his head so he could watch the game on the tv.

"That is an image I did not need in my head." Nick winced. "Ellis, they gave you a choice. If you didn't want boxers then why did you pick them?"

"I picked before they gave us sweat pants." Ellis defended. "At least we don't have to run or nothing."

"Kaylee, how the hell did you get a hover car?" Keith asked.

"It's a cheat code. Here, I'll put it in for you."

"How do you know the cheats?" Zack asked. "You've never even played that game."

"My friend in middle school had the game and I watched him play once."

"Wow." Keith whistled. "I can't even remember what I had for breakfast."

Zack got off the couch and walked over to Kaylee. He sat down behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, leaning his head on her shoulder as he watched her drive.

"What are you doing?" Kaylee smirked.

"Nothing." He smiled.

Nick took Zack's empty place on the couch and sat down. Just as he was about to bring up what the general had told them, a nurse came in with a soldier.

"Pardon me, everyone. But the lab results came back and we need to take a few of you for treatment."

Kaylee paused and turned around, "You mean some of us are carriers?"

The nurse read from her clip board. "Zack, Keith, and Rochelle, please come with me just as soon as you can."

"I'm a carrier?" Rochelle gasped, fear in her eyes. "But..."

"You'll be perfectly fine, I assure you." The nurse promised. "After two days of medical treatment, you'll be flu free."

Zack and Keith stood up quietly. Kaylee grabbed onto Zack's hand. "No, there must be some mistake. He doesn't even look sick at all-"

"Kaylee." He smiled, putting his hand under her chin. "I'm fine now and I'll be fine when I come out. They just want to make sure I can't infect people."

"But you said you'd come with us."

"Can I still go?" Zack asked the nurse.

"No, I'm afraid not. We have to get that disease out of you while our medicine can still destroy it."

"Fair enough." He sighed.

The General came in behind the nurse. "Hello again, survivors. Nurse, how many are in need of treatment?"

"Just these three." She gestured.

"I see." He looked over the rest of the group. "Have you reached a decision?"

"I'm going to help you in any way I can." Kaylee announced firmly. "Ellis will come with me."

"Just the two of you?"

Alan sat up straight, "To be perfectly honest, Sir, I couldn't the broad side of a building with a cannon ball that was already aimed at it. I'd only end up getting myself killed."

"I see..." The General nodded.

"What exactly does this dangerous mission entail?" Nick asked as he stood up.

"The base housing the President, as well as many other people, is on lockdown within the heart of a city now so over-run with infected that we cannot get any vehicles through it. Any helicopters we try to send are destroyed."

"Destroyed?" Nick gasped. "How are they destroyed? Last time I checked, there weren't any flying zombies."

"The sound of the choppers alerts infected that wander the roof tops. I'm sure you've seen tanks throw things before."

"Well how the hell would you expect us to get through that?" Nick demanded.

The General took a deep breath. "We need people who have experienced it first hand, who could navigate the roof tops fast enough and quiet enough to make it to that base."

"How would we get in?" Kaylee asked.

"The device we have stored the data for the cure in also acts as a security key. It would take you in through the building's roof entrance."

"How far would we have to go to get there?" Ellis asked.

"From the point where we can safely drop you off, it is a straight shot across eight buildings. Big buildings, of course. You may have to get creative. If you alert any infected up there, I can't guarentee your safety. I can barely promise anything now."

Nick mulled over it for a moment, thinking about the painting on the wall. "I can't let those two go alone." He spoke. "I'll go too. Neither of them can even open doors."

"Ellis!" Kaylee groaned, punching his arm. "You said you wouldn't tell."

"I'm sorry but it was too funny not to."

"The bravery of you four will not be forgotten." The General replied.

"Four?" Kaylee asked, looking between her, Nick, and Ellis.

Morgan stepped around the corner, wearing the same black and white outfit. "You think I'd miss this?" She smiled quietly.

Kaylee ran over and hugged her. "Morgan! I was worried you'd be trapped in the ICU or something!"

Morgan laughed and gently pushed her back. "Oh please. Even if they tried, there's no way I'd sit aside and let you have all the fun."

"This suicide trip is not my definition of fun." Nick glared.

"Morgan, what's that thing?" Ellis asked, pointing to the thick black choker around her neck. It had small blue lights on it and seemed to be made from some kind of metal.

The General stepped in to explain. "That is your key and your cure. You all need to work together to make sure it gets to the base, even if one of you doesn't. It is worn around the neck to prevent it from being lost."

"What if she falls or something?" Kaylee asked.

"It can be removed at any time by pressing the release button on the side." He explained. "We've scheduled the chopper to leave in three hours. The infected don't see as well in the dark. Every small benifit we can offer you, we are giving."

Kaylee walked back over to Zack. "I guess this is good bye."

"No." He smiled, pulling her close. "I'll just see you later."

"But what if I?"

"You won't." He pulled her in and kissed her lips roughly, drawing her up onto her toes.

The nurse cleared her throat and Kaylee pulled away.

Morgan walked over to the three before the nurse led them away. "Don't you worry." She told them. "They know what they're doing, and I've even said hello to a few people who already went through it."

"I've been through worse." Keith waved.

"How many times have you been fully engulfed in flames again?" Rochelle asked him as they began walking away.

Morgan smiled to herself and sat down beside Alan. The other three took seats as well, Nick on the couch, Ellis and Kaylee on the floor.

"So what happened?" Ellis asked curiously.

"Huh?" Morgan looked at him.

"They said they had to run tests. What kind of tests? What did they say?" Ellis elaborated.

"Oh!" Morgan chuckled. "I'm sorry, I guess I'm a little light-headed. Well, they did some brain scans. I forgot the word for it...anyway it seemed fine at first. But when they gave me a tiny dose of adreneline..." She gestured with her fingers, "Everything lit up. The virus responds to it and makes my sense of touch and hearing go crazy. It shuts down sight though to make up for it. I couldn't really understand the rest of their medical talk."

"They explained the mission to you, right?" Coach asked.

"Yes." She nodded. "They gave me this." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a yellow syringe in a protective plastic case.

"What is that?" Nick asked.

"It's an adreniline shot. I was told that if we had no other choice, I was to use this to get to the base, or at least as far as I could."

"Why don't they just stick you with that and watch you go? Wouldn't that just be the easy way?" Nick asked, imagining her dashing across the buildings like the Road Runner from old cartoons.

"No." Alan answered for her. "Based on what she just said, a full shot would overload her nerves and kill her."

"Yes." She nodded, putting it back into her pocket.

"Woah woah woah!" Ellis stood up and walked over to her. "If that might happen then why do you still have that? You can't kill yourself like that!"

Morgan stood up, "I can't? Ellis, if I have the chance to protect millions maybe just thousands of people from a disease that has already torn so many lives apart, why wouldn't I take it? Everyone in this room has suffered from this flu, but I have the chance to end it before it claims any more brothers or sisters or mothers or friends. If I chose to be selfish now, it would only save me a few months before the disease mutated so far that none of us could fight it. If I have to die so others can live, then so be it. I'm not afraid of death."

Ellis looked at her sadly, his heart breaking in his chest. "I can't lose you, Morgan, you and the others here are all I got left. I ain't even got a place to go back to."

"You have to help me do the right thing, Ellis. We have to deliver the cure before it's too late."

Kaylee's eyes were wet. "Morgan, are you listening to yourself? Why would you want to do that to us? You dying isn't a simple thing! It's terrible! I won't let you die out there!"

"Nothing has even happened yet." Morgan said, walking over and holding Kaylee's shoulders. "Be brave so I can be."

"Nobody gets left behind." Ellis spoke. "Okay? No matter what happens out there, we either all make it or none of us do."

Nick shoved his hands into his pockets. "He said to go quickly and quietly. I think we can handle that."

"You all better come back in one piece." Coach smiled.

"If I lose a limb, I will never shut up about it." Nick laughed nervously.

"You never shut up as it is." Ellis teased.

* * *

><p>Morgan and Kaylee laid together on the floor in darkness, trying to rest as well as they could before the big night ahead of them. Everyone else had gone to the cafeteria to eat, but neither girl wanted to.<p>

"Morgan." Kaylee whispered.

"Hmm?"

"When we get back...they can cure you right?"

"No."

"No? What you mean no? Why not?" Kaylee asked, propping herself up on one arm.

"They can't fix what they don't know. But they know about that place now, and they will send a force when they can. But right now the infection is more important. They don't think I will live very long anyway."

"Morgan, don't talk like that. You've been getting better every day. Most of the time, I forget that anything is even wrong."

"I'm trying to stay positive, for you and for Ellis. Sometimes I really do feel better, but I only sleep for about an hour now and there are always night mares."

"I have them too." Kaylee frowned. "I think that is just the situation."

"Yeah, I think so too. Everything can't be bad luck, right?" She laughed nervously.

"You and me." Kaylee smiled, sitting up and taking Morgan's hand. "We survived high school, the day we got lost hiking, the time I got gum in my hair and you had to get it out with peanut butter, and even the time you drove all the way out to Orlando to get me when my fucking ex left me at a Shell station. We can survive this with a hand tied behind our backs."

"Whose hand?" Morgan laughed.

Kaylee laughed along with her and pulled her into a hug. "Oh, what have we gotten ourselves into...?"

"Two relationships, a pile of zombies, and the scariest obstacle course of our lives."

"You really think Zack will be okay?"

"Oh yeah, he'll be fine. Over half of the soldiers here have had the medicine. You saw them running around earlier."

"It's nice...knowing he is there for me. The name calling and the pranks...I guess he was just acting like a little boy. He hurt me because he loved me."

"That sounds healthy."

"I know, right?" Kaylee sighed. "If he so much as looks at me wrong, his ass is grass."

"I've got your back out there, Kaylee."

"And I've got yours."

They locked hands and Morgan asked, "What about Nick and Ellis?"

"They can watch out for each other."

The friends laughed and held each other in the dark, trying to chase away their fears with laughter.

Footsteps broke the silence as another body entered the darkened room. "Morgan?" Ellis spoke, unable to see them.

"Down here. What is it?" She asked.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Morgan stood up and walked over to where his voice was coming from. The lights all down the hall were still on, so once she turned the corner, she saw him just fine. He pulled her into a tight hug before she could even ask what he wanted to talk about. As she wrapped her arms around his neck, she realized that he hadn't wanted to talk at all. Ellis only wanted to hold her. She smiled softly and stroked his hair as they embraced there in the hallway. They had come so far, and now things looked like they were finally coming to an end.

"Ellis..." She cooed, "Everything will be okay."

"How do you know?" He asked, pulling back enough to look her in the eyes.

"Because we haven't come this far only to fail when it really mattered."

"This isn't a movie though. This is real life and those infected aren't actors. We don't have a script. Anything could go wrong out there and I ain't losing you again."

"Look at me." Morgan spoke, putting her hand gently on his jaw. "If we don't do this, then we can't have a future together. The disease will only mutate and spread if we can't take it down tonight. I have faith in us, Ellis. You, Me, Kaylee, and Nick, we're a team now. And when the morning comes again, all that darkness will be gone and this nightmare can end."

Ellis smiled and kissed her forehead. "When we watch the sun rise together, I've got something I been meaning to ask you."

"I can't wait to hear it." She smiled.

* * *

><p>The Fallen city was worse than any of them could have ever imagined. A sea of infected made up the entire ground of the city like a churning black ocean. The full moon cast a white glow across the abandoned city roof tops that loomed high in the night sky like forgotten idols. The four messengers stood in the open door way of the chopper as it slowly touched down onto the crumbling roof of a once prosperous bank tower. Morgan stepped down first, her black sneakers making only faint noise as she kicked up dust from the short jump. She had been given a white hoodie along with the other three that bore the image of the red cross across the front and on the sleeves. It was an image of relief for any who saw it, and if those waiting for a miracle at the top of the farthest building were still alive, it would be the symbol that brought happy tears to their eyes.<p>

Morgan wound duct tape around the sleeves and her wrists to keep the sleeves from hindering her in any way during the trek. As Kaylee jumped down after her, she took the roll Morgan handed her and began to do the same. Their loose pants had all been replaced by black biking shorts but the men weren't complaining. They were too scared to. Nick pulled on the red fingerless gloves he had been given and flexed his fingers, psyching himself up.

The General remained in the door of the chopper as the blades slowly came to a stop. "Your objective is the tall building you see in the distance with the red light blinking on the top." He instructed. "Get there as quickly as possible without alerting infected. This chopper will be forced to leave in two hours, whether you are all on board or not. Deliver the cure and get back here. May God be with you all."

"Uh...thanks." Ellis smiled nervously. "You too!"

Morgan and Kaylee began bending down and touching their toes, stretching their muscles as if they were about to go for a little climb. Nick walked over and mimiced them, gesturing for Ellis to join in as well. Morgan backed away and walked to the edge of the building, looking over the side. The drop to the ground below was deadly, more than anyone could survive. Her eyes watched in fear as the tide below rose and swelled with the mass pit of infected people. As she looked up in the distance at nearby buildings, she could make out the lumbering figures of tanks and chargers. No wonder it had been impossible to fly in. A machine as noisy as a chopper would send a Tank into a rage, and juging by the twisted rubble of a helicopter on the roof across the street, it already had.

She walked back to the others and faced the edge. "Let's do this."

Kaylee nodded and turned to face the same direction as Morgan. Nick and Ellis followed, each swallowing a lump in their throats. The little blue lights on Morgan's collar blinked as she sprinted toward the edge of the rooftop. As her heart began to pound, the live wires in her hands came fluttering to life. She pushed off with one foot and launched herself over the gap between this building and the next. When she hit the next roof, her body rolled forward and she pushed off again, sprinting across the broad building to the next ledge.

Kaylee charged after her, feet pressing hard against the concrete surface as she propelled herself with all her might over the chasm. She hit the second roof hard but forced herself back up with her arms, looking back to see Ellis flailing his arms as he jumped over her. He fell onto his hands and knees but stood quickly, ignoring the blood on his legs from the rough landing.

Nick held his breath as he ran faster than he had before, closing his eyes when he jumped because he was afraid of seeing himself fall. He opened them in time to land on his feet, pressing one hand against the roof as he let out his breath. Ellis offered his hand down to him and he grabbed it, the two of them running side-by-side to catch up to the others.

Once on the third roof, Morgan stopped and waited for the others. She turned around and watched them as the approached, barely making out the tired looks on their faces in the dim light. A flash of light burst out from all around them as lightening lit up the clouds. The crash of thunder followed moments after, vibrating from their feet all the way through the tips of their fingers. None had ever been so close to the sky before, close enough to feel its power with each roaring boom. They all paused in a small circle, heads facing up to the unforgiving clouds as lightening lit the way. The rain came down like an over-turned bucket, soaking them to the bone with one swoop.

"No time to stop." Morgan panted, breaking away once more and running for the next roof. She had to keep her adreneline up, for she knew it was the only thing getting her over each drop. Kaylee was right at her heels, their feet falling at the same pace. Nick pulled ahead of them, clearing the next jump before Morgan even reached the ledge. He skidded as he landed, sneakers kicking up a wave of water. As the others landed, each sent up a fresh splash of warm rain. They were half way there.

The blinding white lights of each flash were growing in intensity as they ran, sheets of rain slamming against them. Ahead of them on the roof, a familiar beast bellowed as it readied to tackle. Each had a pistol, but in the random bursts of light they would be impossible to aim. The Charger was at the edge of the roof ahead, about to run at them with one monsterous arm hunched forward. Nick picked up a lead pipe from the pile of rubble beside them, shaking off bits of dirt and concrete as he balanced it in one hand.

"Nick, what are you doing?" Kaylee asked slowly, eyes darting between his flashing figure and that of the monster.

"Leveling a charge." He smiled, the white of his teeth flashing like a shark's. She felt as if she was glancing back in time to a younger man, a dangerous man. He ran slowly at first, picking up speed as his mouth stretched into a yell all while the Charger thundered toward him in a deadly game of chicken.

Both hands gripped the pipe as he pushed off with his heels and jumped. As the Charger caught him by his waist, he drove the pipe deep through its exposed skull, through one eye socket and out of the back, ramming the pipe upwards. The skull cracked as their combined forces were enough to break free the entire top portion of the Charger's head, sending it soaring up into the air like a gore-covered plate. Nick fell to the side and rolled as the momentum of the dead beast rocketed him over the edge they had just surpassed and down to the Black sea below. He coughed once, holding his side as he stood again.

"I'm good! Go go!" He barked, everyone looking at him. Ellis gripped Nick's shoulder and the men starred at each other for a moment. This was a war, and they were brothers, whether they admitted to it or not.

"Are you sure?" Ellis asked.

"Yes, I'm fine. Come on!" Nick said harshly, jogging past them.

The dash continued as the rain continued to slap the roofs around them, the thunder a booming chorus that kept their hearts in their throats. It was the jump before the seventh roof when Morgan missed her foot hold. The slick ledge gave no friction beneath her sneakers and she dropped down out of sight between the buildings. Kaylee turned around, short hair whipping water against her face. "Morgan?" She screamed, running back toward the ledge they'd just cleared.

Nick and Ellis stopped cold, falling down on the wet roof. They ran back to Kaylee just as soon as they had scrambled to their feet.

"Here!" Morgan called up.

Kaylee threw her body against the stone bricks, looking down at the darkened trench. The shambles of a fire escape had saved Morgan from a deadly fall, blue collar blinking around her neck. She was laying on her back, trapped too far down to climb back up, stairs long since collapsed.

"Morgan!"

"I'm okay!" Morgan yelled, standing up slowly as her legs shook weakly. "I'm okay!"

"We'll get you!" Kaylee shouted, standing up.

"No!" Morgan screamed, stopping them dead in their tracks. She reached up and unhooked the choker from her neck. "There's no time! Take this and get to the base!"

"We aren't leaving you!" Kaylee yelled back, impossible to tell if the water on her face was all just rain.

"It's okay!" Morgan replied, forcing a smile to her face. "I'll climb back up while you keep going! I'll run back to the helicopter and wait for you!"

Morgan tossed the small blinking ring up into the air and Kaylee reached out her wet gloved hand, catching it as it brushed against her finger tips. She locked it safely around her own neck and stood up.

"Are you sure you can get up?" Ellis yelled, looking down at her trapped at least a full floor below them above the darkness.

"Yes!" Morgan yelled. "Go! Before there is no time!"

"We'll go back together!" Nick yelled, pulling the other two away from the edge. "You two go and deliever the cure. I'll find something to get her back up and we'll wait for you at the chopper."

"Don't let me down, Nick." Ellis spoke.

"I won't. Go!" Nick barked, enough anger in his voice to send them both away. Kaylee looked back at him once before running to the next jump, her and Ellis taking it at the same time.

Nick got down on his hands and knees, looking down over at Morgan, who was again on her back. "Morgan! C'mon we are getting out of here!"

"It hurts, Nick!" She called, rain splattering against her cheeks. "Just go!"

"What hurts? Morgan, get up! We didn't come this far to die now!"

"My arm, Nick!" She yelled, sitting back up as hot fire flooded her arm all the way to her shoulder. "It's broken! Just fucking go!"

"Nobody gets left behind!" He yelled, her pledge stinging his throat as he screamed it at her. "I'm getting down there and dragging you up. I'm not leaving you!"

Morgan looked up at him, saw the determination in his face. She smiled, feeling that he was finally trying to make up for the things that troubled him so much. He was a bad man trying to do good, but she wasn't letting him die for her. "Yes, you are, Nick!" She called back kindly, gripping her limp arm. "You don't have a choice in this."

His eyes widened in horror as she dragged herself on her knees to the edge of the crumbling fire escape. "No..." He leaned his whole torso over the edge, reaching down with one hand to try and grab a girl he could never hope to reach. "No!"

His scream rocked him to his very core as lightening flashed behind him, bringing the buildings around him into sharp focus as millions of bloodshot eyes shone angrily from nearby windows. He stretched his arm down, believing that if he pushed himself hard enough, he would catch the fabric of her shirt beneath his fingers.

Kaylee's heart slammed against the inside of her chest, a cramp twisting in her side with enough force to stagger her briefly, the red light beating against her face only a roof away. With her blood pounding in her ears, the drum of the rain seemed masked and the thunder dulled. Somewhere in the back of her mind she could hear a man screaming but when she looked beside her, all she could see was blind determination in Ellis' face. Her feet were moving mechanically now, propelled by an unknown force that was removing all thoughts from her mind. They jumped together once more, a flash cutting through like the darkness like a camera taking a picture. They hit the last roof and rolled, bright blinking light casting dark shadows under their eyes as they held their stomachs, coughing and gasping for air that would not come fast enough.

The door ahead of them swung open, two armed soliders pointing guns at them. They wore helmets that covered their faces, but as Ellis rose to his knees and the red cross bore its powerful image, they nearly dropped their weapons in disbelief. Kaylee used the last of her fleeting strength to take the ring from her neck. She held it up in the air above her in one balled fist, blue light flickering in time with the red light and the white flash of lightening.

Morgan took the shot from her pocket with her working hand and brought the protective case to her mouth. She bit onto it with her teeth and pulled it free, needle glinting for a brief moment as she held it up, broken arm hanging at her side. All this happened quickly as she stabbed into her exposed thigh. Roses of red light bloomed in front of her tired eyes as the adreneline rushed through her veins. Bright and beautiful visions flooded her brain as she let herself go, falling down over the edge.

Her golden hair fluttered in front of her face as a painful smile stretched her cheeks. The wet wind rushed past her as her hoodie flapped, red cross disappearing into the dark as the medicine numbed her senses. She saw Ellis reaching out a hand toward her, face free of cuts or bruises. His skin was golden tan and the sun shown behind him, making a halo appear around his head. He wanted her to come to him, to play with him in the forgiving rays of day light. Kaylee was there, dancing as flower petals rained down around her.

" The dawn would come again and their play would never end..." She whispered, the darkness below reaching up to welcome her.

When the image of the red cross had vanished from his sight, Nick choked and slid down onto the roof. He pulled his knees up to his chest, crying for the first time in many years. The sobs welled up from deep inside his chest, blurring his vision as he stared out blankly at the faint red light ahead. _I couldn't see her because it was night when I saw the others. _He realized as he cried alone on the roof, wind howling around him and chilling his bones. _I couldn't see her because she is the dawn. Ellis, I failed you. I've failed them all...the dawn will never come._


	27. Wide Awake

Few words were exchanged. Kaylee gave the ragged army men the cure and took Ellis by the hand. They turned around, rain dripping down slowly as the freak storm passed. Before anyone else could stop them, they fled the rooftop of building number eight to make their way back.

The lightening had fled as fast as it had come, leaving them cloaked in darkness. But the moon was returning from behind the clouds, and it was enough to see the ledges by. They found Nick huddled up against the wall where he had collapsed.

"Nick!" Kaylee rushed over to him, dropping to her knees and shaking his shoulders.

He lifted his head, eyes puffy from tears. This was not a face she had ever seen. He was pale and empty-looking, the age lines on his brow looking much deeper. His mouth hung open as his lip quivered, trying to find words in a mind that was giving up.

"Where is she?" Ellis asked, looking down at the empty fire escape.

"Dead." Nick uttered as rain splattered lightly against the wet and empty roof.

Kaylee felt her joints lock up, hands still clutching him by the shoulders. "Don't say that. Don't you say that!"

"She let herself fall. She wouldn't let me go for her!" Nick said, a panic rising in his voice.

"Fall?" Ellis gasped, looking down at the enveloping darkness below.

"She stuck herself and dropped with a smile on her face!" Nick bellowed, pushing Kaylee off of him.

She stumbled but did not fall, mind still unbelieving. "No! She said she was fine and that she could get up!"

"I saw it with my own eyes!"

Ellis swung his leg over the edge, gripping the edge of the window before dropping onto the empty fire escape.

Kaylee shot up, "Ellis! Ellis, where are you going?"

"To get the woman I love!" He yelled back. "I ain't making the same mistake twice!"

Kaylee watched him from the roof above, even Nick pulling himself up to watch, a shred of hope lingering in his heart.

Ellis found a hole in the escape attached to a ladder. It was slick with rain, but the gloves made it easier to hold onto. He took it a step at a time, not wanting to mess up on the easy part. She had not fallen far. Her body lay still, water dripping down through the gaps of the fire escape from her clothing. Ellis dropped down beside her, putting a hand under her head and looking down into her glassy blue eyes. He placed another timid hand on her neck, the skin cold from the rain. His throat burned in pain as dry heaves welled up in his stomach. Ellis pulled her limp body up into his chest, wrapping his arms around her as she lay still against him.

"You said we would be okay...I was going to ask you to marry me...I was...I was going to make you so happy. We would watch the sun rise just like you said...and there would be no more infection...and I would hold you every day. I promise I would have...don't leave me, Em. Don't leave me yet..." His muffled cries could barely be heard as he pressed his mouth against the rain soaked fabric of her white hoodie.

He rocked with her back and forth on his knees, ignoring the cries from above as Kaylee called to him. He moved her hair from her face, somehow still pretty with blood dripping from her lip. Brushing it away with his thumb, he held her close one last time before standing up with her in his arms. "I won't leave you behind." He whispered.

Kaylee held her mouth with her hands as Ellis appeared below them, Morgan slung limply over his shoulder as he climbed the ladder. There were no ladders up to where they were, trapping him with the choice to abandon her or die with her.

"Ellis..." Nick moaned. "Ellis, you have to leave her and come with us...the chopper..."

"No! Either we all go back or none of us do!" He cried. "We promised!"

Kaylee looked around at the roof around them. Propped up against the side of the roof entrance, like a gift from God, lay the remains of a painter's scaffolding. She tugged Nick's sleeve and pointed to it. They rushed to it quickly, pulling off the faded yellow ladder that only barely hung on to the rotted boards on top. The two of them carried it as quickly as they could, lowering it for Ellis. It was a bit short, but more than enough to get both of them up.

* * *

><p>The General checked his watch for the seventh time. The pilot had shut the blades overhead off to keep them as quiet as possible as they waited with hopeful hearts for the safe return of at least one survivor. Two hours had passed by and the third was appraoching fast, but the General refused to leave until either someone came back or the infected showed up.<p>

"Sir, we've waited here long enough. That storm may have been their death sentence." The pilot spoke over his headset.

"Hang on, Soldier." The General spoke gruffly, lifting up a pair of binoculars. The limited light had rendered them almost useless, but they caught the faint glance of red and white on Kaylee's hoodie as she walked slowly across the last roof. They were using the yellow ladder as a bridge.

He jumped out of the Chopper to meet them as they jogged the last few feet of space between them. Ellis had Morgan's body in his arms, his face looking thin and haggard. They all looked like they had stayed a week in Hell.

"We did it." Nick grunted, brushing past the General as they walked toward the Chopper that was already starting back up. "Now take us back."

Ellis collapsed once he got inside, supporting her head with one hand as he gasped for air. They all shook with cold and exhaustion, hair plastered to their faces from the rain storm. Kaylee curled up on the floor as the General slid the door closed. Her legs were throbbing with pain and soaked with blood, the muscles stretched as far as they would go while her bones ached with strain. She began to cry, no strength left in her to even turn her face from the floor. Nick reached out to her and hooked his hands under her armpits. He pulled her across the smooth floor and up into his tired arms, letting her cry against his shoulder. "I know..." He whispered, laying his head on hers. "Just let it out." As the words left his mouth, he felt his own tears returning. He let them fall silently as he forced his eyes closed, the drone of the chopper lulling him to a forced sleep.

* * *

><p>It took two men to get Morgan away from Ellis, even in his exhausted state. They were all brought in with wheelchairs, save Morgan who was on a stretcher. Those still inside waiting for the messengers to return would have to wait a little while longer.<p>

* * *

><p>Kaylee awoke with sun light pouring into her hospital room. She squinted and moved her hand to her face, mouth turning into a sneer. After a moment, she opened her eyes enough to look around her. Nick was in a bed a few feet away, a machine beeping next to him like the one the coma man had. She watched his chest rise and fall as he slept, wondering if she had to shoot him too. With the thin blue sheets gripped in her hands, she tugged until they came up into a ball around her torso and threw them to the floor. Her legs were heavily bandaged from her knees down, aching a little more each minute as she came into awareness. The memory was coming back to her now.<p>

The rain soaked ladder had proven to be a difficult bridge. Once on the way back, her foot had slipped and she fell, legs scraping against the peeling paint and metal. She had caught herself quickly, but not before removing a large section of skin from each shin.

Kaylee touched the bandages with her fingers, wincing in pain a few times before laying back down and looking up at the white popcorn ceiling. _There was bone. _She thought. _I could see my bones._

"Nick..." She muttered, waving an arm over the bed at him. "Nick!...Nick...Ni...Nick!"

He murmed something and opened his eyes. There were little band aids above one eye brow as he turned his head to look at her in confusion. There was thick, white padding around his nose from where he had tripped on the way back and landed on his face. She remembered this now as well.

"What?" He asked, voice raspy from screaming.

"Are we dead?"

"I think so." He mumbled, lifting his sheet up with one arm. The charger had left a large black and purple bruise across his stomach, enough to make him lurch and drop the sheet. "I can't feel my feet...Kay...did they take my feet? I don't want to look."

Kaylee squinted and looked down where the sheet covered his legs. Two mounds rested at the bottom in the shape of feet. "I think I see them."

"Where is Ellis?" Nick asked, throat still stinging and hot.

Kaylee slowly moved her sore neck to the other side and looked, but all she could see was a bare wall. "I don't know."

Coach and Alan were watching them from the doorway, sad expressions on their faces. Alan had his arms folded, shaking his head as the two survivors mumbled and squirmed about slowly.

"They have them on the good drugs." Coach commented.

"It looks like it. God, I can hardly even look at them." Alan frowned. "Did you see Kaylee's legs?"

"I saw the bandages and that was enough."

"I think she will need skin graphs." He shuddered. "But they did good on his nose."

"Better then you did with hers." Coach chuckled nervously, trying to cheer Alan up.

"Well they have medical equipment." Alan smiled. "Coach, I need some air."

"All right, Boy. Come on." Coach said, guiding Alan by the shoulder out of the room. The two of them walked side-by-side down the hall, Coach using a crutch for now while his leg continued to heal. As they rounded the corner, they couldn't help but stop in front of the window into another room. A familiar young man was sitting alone, staring out of the wide window. Ellis had dislocated his shoulder when he carried Morgan's body up the ladder, but other than that he was physically better off than the others. But the emotional scars were burned in deep.

"Should we go in?" Alan asked.

"I don't know if we should." Coach frowned.

"But Ellis-" Alan frowned. "He needs us. Doesn't he?"

"I think he does, but not right now." Coach smiled softly.

"We should have all been out there." Alan frowned. "We could've done something..."

"Like die? Alan, those people are driven by a power greater than anything we could ever imagine. I don't think even they know it. We wouldn't have cleared one jump."

"I just feel like there must have been a better way."

"That neck thing saved those people. I don't know what was inside, and we will probably never know, but that little girl with the wrecked legs and that boy with the dislocated shoulder and the man with the punctured lung did something that will go down in history. We helped them, Alan. We didn't run the last leg of the relay or run the last play, but we were there through the blood, the sweat, and the tears that pushed them hard enough to make them push back. Don't you ever forget that, boy. Don't you ever forget how far we've come and how far we are going to go. The work isn't over and it won't be over for a long time."

Alan looked at Coach with a lump building in his throat. "They still need us, the people that are alive out there. We have knowlege we need to share."

Coach clapped him on the shoulder and they walked past the silent room, walking like a father and son. "The carriers are safe, and weapons can be developed, darts that shoot the cure or some crazy shit like that. We'll bite this disease on the ass and pick up the pieces."

"Cure darts? Coach, you watch too much science fiction." Alan laughed, feeling like the hope they had this whole time was finally real.

"You mean I've lived too much science fiction." He laughed. "You and me, we are going to go get a cheeseburger and a cold beer and watch a rerun of an old superbowl game. They better have one here somewhere."

"Something tells me that we will be here a while...and that a freezer will soon be cleared of all meat."

"I'm going to be a one-man cheese burger Apocalypse!" Coach declared.

* * *

><p>Zack sat on the edge of Kaylee's bed, holding her hand in both of his, rubbing her fingers with his thumb. "How are you feeling today, Baby Doll?"<p>

"Shitty." Kaylee smiled. "How was the medicine?"

"I slept through most of it." He shrugged. "I should've been there with you."

"You wouldn't have been able to handle it." She teased, "Aside from 99% of it being horrible and terrifying, there was one small percent that was the most exciting thing I've ever done. The jumping...Zack, it was like flying. When I can start walking around again, I want to do more of that...but on the ground...maybe over tree stumps or small rocks."

Zack laughed, "You are insane. Do you know that? Do you know what you even did out there?"

"I can't really wrap my brain around much...the drugs are wonderful." She smiled.

"They got their first communications this morning." Zack explained. "The President wasn't immune to the Green flu so they were trapped there. But once they injected him with the antibiotics, it was safe enough to get him to the roof. They took a helicopter and picked up the people who were trapped in there...which sadly...there weren't as many as there could have been...but, they're in Canada for the time being. They took the information you delivered with them, and they're going to develop weapons as fast as possible. Think nuclear bombs but instead of radiation, they're filled with-"

"Glitter!" Kaylee squealed.

Zack sighed and smiled softly, realizing she probably wouldn't remember anything he said. "Yeah. The cure is glitter. We all feel so foolish."

Nick laughed and used his spoon to flick peas across the room at Zack. "The cure is eating your vegetables, Zacky-boo!"

"Hey!" Zack swatted them. "Okay, I don't care how bad you two got your asses handed to you. I'm not coming back until they lower the dosage of whatever it is they have you on."

"Is the cure really eating your vegetables?" Kaylee asked as Zack walked out of the room laughing.

"I hope not." Nick frowned, looking at the peas still on his plate. "I hate peas. I wish they would give me more pudding. I want to eat just pudding...for the rest of my life. Kaylee, I love you."

She looked over at him, a smile plastered on her face. "I know. Eat your peas, Nick. More peas or no pudding."

"No, they have a gross name."

"They gave me two puddings because my legs are worse than your lung." She laughed.

"You didn't even eat the second one. Can I have it?"

"If you walk over and pry it from my hands."

"Zack is a good boy." Nick spoke, poking the little round vegetables with his spoon. "He is a total asshole but he is a good boy. I'm too old for you. Everyone said so."

"How can he be a good asshole?" She giggled.

"When you are an asshole and you do something really good, you make up for what you did but everyone knows what you really are." He explained, feeling soft and fuzzy from the drip in his arm.

"Where is Ellis?" She asked sleepily.

"I thought he was with you?" Nick yawned.

* * *

><p>"Ellis! Ellis!" Keith spoke loudly from behind the glass window. He knocked on it with his knuckles, despire Rochelle trying to angrily tug him off.<p>

"Keith, stop it! They said that he is in a delicate, emotional state and-" She cut herself off, watching as Keith pressed his mouth against the glass and puffed his cheeks out. "What are you doing?"

"Tryin' ta get him to look over here!"

"Well stop it!" She hissed, slapping his bare arm with her hand.

Ellis looked up and a smile slowly spread across his face. Hewaved for them to come inside.

"Ellis!" Keith smiled. "Everyone is saying ya'll are heros!"

"Naw, that's the next room down." He pointed. "Kaylee did all that."

"Shoot, man, we all know you did a good deed out there."

Ellis pushed his hands over his tired face, dark circles under his eyes that would linger for some time. "Don't be glorifying what you don't know, Keith."

"Ellis..." Rochelle smiled. "Are you okay?"

"Am I okay?" He asked, anger in his voice. "Kaylee can't walk, Nick can barely breathe, and I carried my dead girlfriend across six roof tops with a dislocated shoulder only to have her taken away from me before I had the energy to tell her good bye! I am not okay, Rochelle. We aren't heros and we aren't ever going to be okay!"

"Ellis, now calm down-" Keith stammered.

"She made a choice, Ellis. There was nothing you-"

"Don't even say it! You weren't there! The only person who was there was Nick and I believe what he said. She didn't want to be in pain anymore. We're all in pain, Rochelle. That's all we've been in for months!" He screamed, kicking over a nearby chair and making them both flinch.

"Ellis-"

"Kaylee and Nick are on drugs right now for the trauma of it all. The doctors say it is for the pain but they're used to the pain. Unless someone in this building can bring people back from the dead, ya'll just leave me the hell alone."

Before they could say another word, Ellis backed up and closed the door to his room.

* * *

><p>For the safety of everyone, those who died in or near the base were cremated to burn away any last traces of the infection. The recent raids on the nearby city had cost a fair number of military soldiers and the small cremation ward was quickly over-flowed with bodies. Morgan's corpse was placed it its own rectangular crate and nailed shut, along with many others. These were taken to a large walk-in freezer connected to the ward to be disposed of as soon as time allowed.<p>

The freezer was cold and silent, boxes stacked up neatly like building blocks. Inside, the chilled and stiff bodies waited for their turn to become ashes.

In the far corner of the room on the top of a short stack of crates, a faint heartbeat broke the frosty silence.

_Thump thump...thump thump...thump thump..._

Her darkened eyelids snapped open as her pupils widened to fill the near entirity of her eye in the pitch black darkness. Her mouth slowly stretched open as her dry lips peeled apart, chest heaving as she sucked in an icy blast of stale air. She pressed her hands against the lid of the box and shoved up as hard as she could, but it did not budge an inch beneath the iron nails. With shaking fists, she beat against the lid, no voice in her to scream with.

The virus had finally disappaited from her veins after her death-like slumber, but in all the excitement of the night before and the ghastly shape she was brought back in, a simple check of her pulse had declared her deceased.

Morgan stopped beating on the lid, her cheeks hot from excitement but the rest of her very cold. She reached into her pocket and felt around with numbing fingers for the few items she had on her. The cell phone she had in her pocket to check the time with the night before was still there and still worked. She let it rest on her stomach, unable to think of what to do with it for now as she searched her other pocket. All she came up with was an empty syringe. Trying her best to stay calm, she picked up the phone again, letting the back light illuminate her tiny prison. A small blinking symbol in the corner caught her eye...wireless internet connections avalible. The base was still connected, probably to keep in touch with other places that still had power. Her battery was nearly dead.

The numbness in her fingers was slowing her down, but she managed to type out four letters and send them to the only email address she could think of, one that she had exchanged with Rochelle as a joke back at the cabin.

To:

Message: help

Morgan's battery died and she was left once more in the cold darkness of her makeshift coffin, hoping that someone would find her before it was too late.

* * *

><p>Rochelle was sitting with Alan, Coach, and Keith in the cafeteria when her cell phone vibrated inside her pocket. She jumped in surprise, having gone so long without it. She pulled it out and brought up her phone's internet browser. "A new email? What in the world..." She muttered.<p>

Alan looked up at her curiously. "What is it?"

"I got an email. I didn't even know this building had internet."

Anything important?" Alan asked, taking a bite of his cheese burger.

Rochelle's face froze as she read the short message and she began to tremble, dropping the phone onto the table. "Oh my God...Oh my God if this is a joke it isn't funny."

"What is it?" Coach spoke, looking at Rochelle with fear in his brown eyes.

"The email is from Morgan..." She choked. "All it says is help."

Alan dropped his lunch onto his tray and grabbed Rochelle's phone, checking it for himself. His eyes widened in fear. "Oh shit...holy shit we buried her alive!"

"They don't bury folks around here!" Coach yelled, "They burn 'em!"

Rochelle screamed loud enough to alert everyone in the cafeteria. Soldiers and workers began to swarm around her, trying to assess the situation. "Where are the bodies?" She yelled. "You fucked up!"

* * *

><p>Ellis ran out of his room when he saw a barrage of people running past, as if being chased. They were running toward the cremation ward and a rock suddenly felt like it had been dropped in his gut. WIthout taking the time to pull on his shoes, he followed after the others with sock feet. The doors were thrown open, the room smelling strongly of burned people and hair. There were several sealed crates in this room, waiting to be opened for burning. Soldiers with crow bars were breaking into these first, forcing open nailed lids while others ran past and unlocked the heavy freezer door. He saw Alan and Rochelle near the front, angrily trying to get inside first. Coach grabbed Ellis by his good shoulder and pulled him out of the way as three men in uniform took a crate off teh stack beside him to get to the one below it.<p>

"What is going on?" Ellis asked frantically, timid eyes looking to Coach for help.

"We got a message from Morgan." Coach said. "We think she might be alive after all."

"Oh God...I think I'm going to puke..."

A girl's scream echoed from inside the freezer, hoarse and raspy but unmistakable. A young soldier with warm brown eyes told her to cover her eyes before ramming his crowbar under the lid and breaking it off with a firm thrust of his arms. Boards splintered and rained onto the floor as he bent over on top of the stack and pulled off the rest of the lid. Alan pulled her out into his arms, her terrified and shaking arms clutching at him in desperation. Her eyes were wide with dark circles around them, face pale and lips blue. Rochelle pressed herself against Morgan's back as they stood with her outside the freezer. She was pressed safely between them, mumbling and trembling in fear as she buried her face into Alan.

"It's okay." Rochelle whispered, rocking her between herself and Alan. "We got you now. You're going to be okay."

"What a nightmare." Coach cursed, leaning with half of his weight on his crutch.

"We need to get her out of here." Alan said firmly, the soldiers leading them back out. "Warm her up...oh man...we need to treat this arm!" He barked as a doctor in blue scrubs ran over to them. "She's been using it."

Morgan heard all this but was unable to speak. The room was spinning, and she was only faintly aware of the pain inside her as her body began to warm. In her mind she was still screaming and beating against the inside of her coffin.


	28. For The Women They Lost

_My apologies for the delay between chapters. I never intended for it to take so long but between work and a small case of writer's block, this chapter gave me a good amount of trouble. I've read all of your reviews and will be working on your concerns to the best of my ability. The next chapter should be out much faster. Thank you for your patience and understanding. -Paradoxygen_

* * *

><p>Alan awoke suddenly the next night. He sat straight up, sheets balled up around his feet from all his tossing and turning. He rubbed his hand across his mouth and chin, feeling the thin scruff of his beard as he did so. The room was dark and cold, save a figure standing at the foot of the bed. He rubbed his eyes and looked again. She was pale as a sheet, her long black hair hanging over one shoulder. He could faintly see everything behind her, as if she were transparent.<p>

"Alan." She smiled. "You're a long way from home."

His eyes widened in shock as he woke up. "Emily! What-how did you get here?"

"I'm dead, Alan." She answered, walking over to the side of the bed.

"Emily..." He whispered, reaching out to touch her cheek. "No...you can't be."

She closed her eyes as his fingers passed through her white skin.

He slowly pulled his hand away. "No..."

"It's okay, Alan." She smiled softly, looking him in the eyes. "My pain is gone. The cancer is gone."

"You would've gotten better!" He replied, his voice choking.

"We both know that isn't true. Alan, I'm here to save you."

"Save me? Emily, I'm fine."

"Something very bad is going to happen. The infected are changing and many are moving this way. The base will fall."

"It can't fall! We have medicine and guns and-"

"Alan." Emily said firmly.

He bit his lip and lowered his head.

"The medicine doesn't work on infected. It only works on carriers."

"How do you know all of this?" He asked, tears in his eyes. "How do I know I'm not just going crazy and imagining you?"

"You don''t know. But I love you, Alan. You have too much good to do in the world. You can't die tomorrow. None of you can."

"How long have you been watching us?"

"Not very long. I can't stay much longer."

"Why not? Why can't you stay with me like this? I need your help..."

She reached up and placed her hand on his cheek. A chill ran through his body that made his lips tremble with cold. "You're stronger than you know, Alan. Save them."

"I'm not...I can't..."

"I made you run into the trash can."

"What?" he asked, looking up.

"Morgan would not have found you if you hadn't made noise. I rolled the jar of bile in front of you that you used on that first monster. I've been watching over you, brother. You're a strong man. Sometimes you just need a little push. I have to go soon...but I'll always be looking out for you, just like you looked out for me."

His trembling lips pulled into a smile as tears spilled down his cheeks. "Like my guardian angel?"

"We prefer spirit soldier." She laughed.

"We?"

"I'm not the only ghost wandering around that hates the infected. We can't help much...and the more we help the more we fade...but you aren't as alone as you think."

"Who else is with us?" Alan asked. "Am I allowed to know?"

"No." She smiled.

"What do I have to do...to save them?"

"Take one of those large Jeeps out front. Drive as far away as you can get."

"Where do we go?"

"I can't tell you everything, Alan."

"I need a hint, or something." He begged.

"The cold slows them."

"So we go North..."

"Just get them away."

He rubbed the back of his head, "But Kaylee can't even walk right now and Nick is still recovering. I mean, I could probably get them both out but they need proper medical care."

"You're a doctor." Emily replied.

"But what about Morgan? She has a cast on her forearm. How would we handle that?"

"Alan...do you honestly think that would slow her down?"

He looked up at her, "No, and that's what worries me. What do you know that you aren't telling me? Can you see the future?"

"No."

He let out a sigh and held his head in hands. "So you're telling me that I have to steal a car, guns, and food, then somehow convince everyone to leave the safest place we've been so far because a ghost told me to?"

"They are your friends, Alan, all you have left in this dying world...wouldn't you try anything to save them? If you could have saved me, wouldn't you have tried?"

When he looked up to reply, she had already vanished. He wiped away his tears with the back of his hand and stood up, pulling on his pants in the darkness.

* * *

><p>Alan walked alone with the hood of his jacket pulled up over his head, concealing his face from any he might pass. He looked to his sides before pushing through a door marked "Restricted Access" and stepped inside. There was precious little time to be wasted here so he moved quickly, pulling guns down from expensive-looking racks and stuffing them into a burlap sack that he slung over one shoulder. Nothing he grabbed was too big or too loud, keeping in mind that three of the people with him had limited strength.<p>

His eyes lit up as he paused in front of a shelf. There, sitting in a small crate, was a neat little pile of hand grenades. They were just what he had been looking for ever since he picked up his grenade launcher and he couldn't help but take all of them for himself. A door opened and he quickly jumped behind a stack of boxes, doing his best to stay silent.

Two soldiers entered, talking to each other as they passed through the room.

"Mack is worried that the infected are heading this way." Said one.

"He worries about everything. Nothing is getting past these walls." Replied the other.

"It seems like each week they get nastier. Maybe they really could get in..."

"Even if they did get in, there are enough people here to cut them down before they do any damage. C'mon, let's get back to our bunks before the General catches us."

Alan held his breath as they walked right by him and held it until the door on the opposite end of the room closed. He straightened up and smiled to himself, pulling the bag back over his shoulder. He felt like James Bond.

He stepped back into the aisle, humming the famous movie theme to himself as he jumped over cracks in the tile and pointed his fingers like a gun. Stuffing a few small medical packs into the sack, he paused and caught his reflection in a hubcap.

"The name's Phillips...Alan Phillips..." He smirked, giving his beast Sean Connery voice. He checked his watch, 3:43 am.

"Shit, gotta move." He cursed, walking quickly out of the room.

The Jeeps outside were not guarded, parked in a neat row on the western wall. He tossed the bag into the back of the one closest to him before walking around to the front to check for keys. There was nothing in the ignition, but upon opening the glovebox he found the spare set. Attached was a key chain with the number 7 written on with black marker. He got back out and looked at the side where the same seven had been sprayed on with white paint. Alan pocketed the keys, as well as the set from the Jeep beside it (number 8) and returned to the building through the door he had come from. He hadn't seen anyone using the vehicles before, probably because they didn't offer enough protection from the infected.

"I can't believe I did that." He smiled, walking back down the hall to his room. "You were right, Emily, I do have the ability. I won't let you down."

* * *

><p>With the rising of the sun came a feeling of urgency that none but Alan could understand. Nick was leaning against the wall of the recreation room slowly sipping at a cup of warm coffee while he watched Zack try and catch Kaylee as she raced around in her new wheel chair. Rochelle was sitting behind Morgan on the small couch, pulling her blonde hair into a neat braid for her. Ellis and Keith were playing ping pong, and things were starting to get aggressive. Coach was in the recliner reading a book but Nick couldn't make out the title. Alan came in wearing his old jeans and a clean doctor's coat, probably given to him by the staff.<p>

"Good, you're all here." Alan announced.

"What is it?" Kaylee asked, whipping her chair around.

"We have to go."

"What are you talking about?" Nick asked.

"The infected are going to destroy this base and we have to leave before it goes down with us in it." Alan explained.

"And how do you know that?" Coach asked, setting down his book.

"I just...have a really strong feeling."

"We can't leave." Ellis replied. "Kaylee and Morgan are still in bad shape."

"I know, I know." Alan sighed. "But they'll be in worse shape if we stay here. I already got us two Jeeps last night. I can drive one and Ellis can drive the other."

"Where do you plan to take us?" Nick asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Alan, we can't just drive away like that. We're safe here." Rochelle frowned.

"We won't be by the end of the night!" Alan snapped. "Why won't you believe me? The infected are changing! We've all seen it!"

"If we keep runnin' like this we're eventually gonna run out ah' places to run to." Keith pointed out.

"Everyone, calm down." Morgan spoke. "Has Alan ever given us a reason not to trust him?"

"I'm just trying to save all of you." Alan added.

Coach stood up and closed his book. "You say you've got two Jeeps?"

"Yes, sir. I put some guns and ammunition into one of them."

"Well, we'll need rations and other supplies. Everyone split up, take what you can without being caught. Most people here are aware of the threat from what I've overheard but they ain't moving. It's best if we take what we can while we still have the sense to do so."

"You actually want to go through with this?" Nick asked.

"If you don't want to come, nobody will make you." Coach replied.

"I just don't think it makes any sense at all to run away when we are finally in a place that can help us. Sure, I don't really remember the past few days but I do feel a lot better."

"We were on some pretty good drugs." Kaylee laughed. "You said you loved me. I think that's sweet."

"I did? Great." He replied, rolling his eyes. "Don't get too cozy. It was the meds talking."

"We all know that you love us, Nick." Kaylee teased. "Come on, let's do what Alan says. All for one, yeah?"

"I'll think about it." He scoffed, looking away.

"I saw my sister." Alan blurted out. "Like, as a ghost. She came to me and warned me. It is too crazy for me to make up. She wants to save us."

"Ghosts?" Ellis gasped. "Honest to goodness?"

"I don't know, man." Keith said, stepping forward. "I don't know if I believe that. I once lived in a cemetary for an entire year and I ain't never seen no ghosts. Well, except for this one time when a ghost stabbed me from behind and took all my money."

"Naw you said that might of just been a homeless guy." Ellis corrected.

"Yeah, see, there's no such thing as ghosts." Keith nodded, hooking his thumbs into the loops of his jeans.

"I used to think there was no such thing as zombies either." Rochelle said, folding her arms.

"You make a strong point, pretty lady." Keith pointed.

"I know it is insane." Alan sighed, "And part of me thinks I'm just nuts...but it felt real to me. I don't want to risk losing you guys. You're...my friends."

Rochelle stood up and touched Alan's wrist, "Don't look so sad. We're your friends too, Al. Come on, let's make sure we are well-off for this crazy idea of yours."

She smiled at him and he smiled in return, even if she was right in saying that he was crazy.

* * *

><p>"I think you've all lost your minds." Nick growled as he handed Rochelle her back pack. The two of them were standing beside Jeep 8 and everyone else was still either gathering or waiting for someone else.<p>

"You can't be serious about staying here." Rochelle frowned.

"I can and I am."

"Nick, we have been to Hell and back these past two months and now is when you decide to pull the loner card? Uh-uh, I don't think so."

"Alan has a screw loose and you're all following after him like he is the God damn pied-piper. He gives you all a little speech about friendship and you eat it up. I survive with facts, Sweetheart, and the fact is, this is where I am safe." He snapped.

"You're saying we aren't friends?" She asked, folding her arms. "You told Kaylee you loved her."

"Which is a huge sack of shit. I was on drugs. I told some pudding I loved it too and nobody is pulling my arm about that. She is hot but way too immature for me, okay? I'm not interested."

"What about me? What about everyone else? You're telling me that there isn't one person back there that you are the slightest bit concerned about? We have your back, Nick. I'm beginning to doubt you have any of ours."

"Why do you care if I stay or go?"

"Because you're my friend." Rochelle answered angrily.

"Friendship will not keep those things from tearing me in half."

"I can't even believe you right now." She yelled. "Is there room on planet Nick for anyone besides yourself?"

"Would you shut up? I'm tired of you and everyone else for calling me self-centered! I am the only person in this whole damn cluster fuck who even pays any attention to me! I am always pulling you guys off of ledges, protecting you from witches, and putting my damn neck out every time someone called for help." Nick sneered, getting right up in her face. "But every time I slip up, it's only me there offering to pull myself up. None of you ever take my side on anything."

"That isn't true and you know it." Rochelle glared.

"Nothing you or anyone else in there say can change my mind. I'm not putting up with any more shit just because you want to pretend that we are some big happy family."

Rochelle pushed past him and walked back inside. He kicked the tire and cursed under his breath, punching the air a few times before leaning with his back against the Jeep. He let out a slow and painful sigh before collecting himself and walking back in. His mind was racing, going back to a night that had been burned into his skull.

_It was nearly two o'clock in the morning when Nick came home that night. His shirt was only tucked in on one side and the collar of his jacket was stained with hot pink lipstick. Hair disheveled and eyes tired, he stumbled through the entryway only to have the light click on as he shut the door behind him. He looked up and saw her standing at the bottom of the stairs wearing her white silk robe, long black hair spilling over her shoulders. Her normally beautiful blue eyes were now small and accusing._

_"Where were you?" She asked._

_"I was out." Nick replied, walking into the kitchen to pour himself a glass of milk._

_"Don't answer me like I'm stupid, Nick." She sneered, though he could hear the tears in her voice. "I can smell her on you."_

_"Well look who is finally paying attention to me." He laughed, opening the cabinets to look for the glasses._

_"You're never home any more." She cried. "You come home late smelling like booze and whores or blood and death. I don't know which is worse but I hate them both. What have you turned into?"_

_"Would you stop crying? I can't stand being around you when you're crying. Where are the damn glasses?"_

_"I want a divorce."_

_He froze in place, her words hitting him hard in the stomach. _

_"Nick?"_

_"I heard you the first time!" He yelled, slamming the doors shut. The mugs on the hooks hanging below the cabinet fell and shattered against the counter. _

_"Just get out of here." She cried. "Go back to your whore. I'll call when I have the papers."_

_Nick waited until he heard her walking upstairs before collapsing into a chair in front of their small kitchen table. He was drunk and tired but that didn't change how he felt. He loved her...even if she was always yelling at him or crying. He didn't want to blame her for his mistakes, but he did._

That had been the last time he had seen her. He had her mail the papers and she took care of the rest. He didn't know if she was alive now or dead...or one of them. Nick couldn't stop replaying that night in his head, focused on how everyone he ever got close too ended up hating or ignoring him. He walked with his head down and his hands in his pockets. When he heard foot steps ahead of him, he looked up and saw Alan walking toward him. The mad doctor was mumbling to himself, opening and closing his hands as he walked with his head down. Nick turned and watched him as he walked past. "Freak." He muttered to himself before continuing to walk.

"_If you can see everyone you love in it, then that is what it is to you. To me, it's just another drawing." _He stopped short and held his breath. Morgan's voice had echoed in his mind, more powerful than a memory. "The fish!" Nick exclaimed. _The fish she drew was never even mentioned in the story, but everything else was. When I looked at the picture again the next morning, something was different but I didn't know what. It was the fucking fish! It wasn't there! I know I saw her drawing it. She spent more time on it than anything else in the stupid thing._

Nick walked back in the direction he had come, trying to remember if he had passed Morgan or if he had even seen her since they all split up that morning. He had to ask her before they all left. When he made it to the end of the hall, he had to stop and try to catch his breath, lungs burning in pain. He was still in rough shape and shouldn't be walking this much let alone jogging, but he had to know.

"Wait!" He called out. Alan, who was nearly at the end of the next hall, turned around and saw Nick panting like he had just run a marathon. Alan rushed to Nick's side.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm coming with." He wheezed.

"Well come on then." Alan spoke, leading him by the arm. "We were about to leave."

* * *

><p>The infected creatures were driven by forces that many people would never come to understand. As the disease mutated inside them and altered their appearances even further, the infected became more rabid.<p>

The wave of infected that was moving toward the base was a grouping much larger than they could have ever anticipated. The only ones who had seen numbers this large were those who had run across the rooftops, but even the glimpse in the darkness was not enough to prepare them for such a sight. The base had been warned. None of the nine survivors wanted to run away without trying to save others, but those who had been on the base longer than them had come to rely on its safety, and would not leave it because of one man's bad feelings.

But the General let the survivors go.

At 6:27 pm, the infected appeared on the horizon. Their flesh was covered with boils all swollen with pus and dark fluid. Sometimes the boils would burst and seep down their arms and legs as they progressed forward, dripping down onto the soil and tainting it with their blood. They let their jaws hang open, looking more like zombies and less like sickly people with each passing day. Many had lost their teeth, the gums bloody and weak, no longer strong enough to support rotted biters.

The hundreds of common infected were nowhere near as awful as those the survivors had taken to calling special. One soldier nearly dropped his binoculars when he whitnessed a Tank swing his arm and take out an entire section of mindless infected.

"I am ordering a lock down!" The General yelled. "Nobody else gets in and nobody else goes out! Move! Move!"

The gates roared shut as sirens blarred. Soldiers rushed to their posts, guns in hand and ready to fire. When the infected reached the wall, they began to climb. The Americans fired at them, but for each infected they killed, two more filled its place. The line of infected still coming did not seem to have an end.

The sick broke past the wall. The creatures called Chargers had slammed their massive arms against it enough times to create a hole, and once the hole was opened, the zombies poured in by the hundreds. The soldiers ran, trying to fire at the infected that barreled toward them. One man fell, eyes wide with horror as two infected fell upon him. The hair of the woman was matted and missing in many places, her eyes black with infection and vacant of any shred of humanity. He tried to reach for his gun but she dug her hands into the soft flesh of his stomach and tore, ripping out red and gray blobs of what he could only guess were his organs. He screamed but it was cut short, the other infected hissing as it dropped its foot down on his windpipe.

The General watched in horror from his guard tower, rifle trembling in his hands as he watched good men get ravaged by monsters. "God, save us." He whispered.

The growl behind him was his answer as well as his warning. The Hunter jumped and slammed him against the opposite wall before pinning him to the ground. The hoodie it wore was in shreds, hanging on only barely in some places. Its arms were covered in sores and scratches, the skin around its eyes ripped away so it could never blink. It slices through the General's uniform as the man screamed and then down into his chest, spraying the walls with dark blood. He choked as blood blocked his throat and poured past his lips, unable to fight back. These creatures had gotten stronger, angrier...and as they continued to succumb to the disease, they began to hunger for living flesh.

By 7:04 PM, the safe haven of the base had become a hive for the infected. The ground and walls were painted with blood, skin, and innards, all strewn about like toys in a young child's room. Some infected remained outside but all the others had ventured in, wandering the rooms and halls without direction. A pale figure stepped through the hole on the outer wall, her long nails hanging at her sides as she lurched forward. Her long black hair hung down over her face as she stepped through pools of blood. There were few infected outside, but one foolish one had wandered into her as she walked, their shoulders bumping. The Witch screamed and shoved her nails through its neck, cutting it down as if it were made of paper. It crumpled to the ground and she sat down where she was, pulling her knees up to her face. She began to cry, a voice filled with agony and pain. All witches looked very similar and all cried, but each cry was different and many believed for different reasons. Not all Witches cried for men who had died before them. Some Witches cried because they couldn't find the one man they wanted to see dead most.


	29. Good night, Pretty Lady

_I have lost many things in this short time. I lost my home, my parents, all of my closest friends save Kaylee, and it seems with each passing day I lose something else. But I have not and will not lose this journal. I've written in it every day since I left my home in search of others, of anything. Every creature we have encountered, every awful sight, and every conversation that I remember well enough to record are all here in these pages. I try to be brave around the others but in truth, I do not see any of us living much longer. My hope for this log is that when the worst eventually happens and we die, that the infection will stop at this country's borders and that when a few brave souls wander into this wasteland, they will find it and know how far we came, how hard we fought, and how happy we strived to be until the bitter end._

_-The Recovered Journal of Morgan Ambrose, Dated December 01, 2011._

* * *

><p>While the blood bath was raging at the military base, the nine survivors were well on their way in two stolen Jeeps. They were headed north in the hope that the cold weather would kill the infected before it killed them, and that the border to Canada might let them pass. It was a long shot.<p>

The stars above shown brightly in the dark sky, free from any lights made by humans to take away from their glow. The cold air cut like a blade as it whistled by the tightly shut glass windows. They rode side-by-side, each in their own lane. Ellis sat behind the wheel of Jeep 8, Alan steering for Jeep 7. The Jeeps bumped now and again over road debris, sometimes having to go off road to get around deserted cars or other wreckage. Though it seemed that the farther they got, the less chaotic the world around seemed to be. The world was frozen in time, empty of people or animals. It was as if fear of the disease on the east coast had caused everyone out west to simply pack up and leave. But where had they all gone?

"Morgan, you awake?" Nick asked.

She looked up, pushing her cowboy hat up with her thumb to see where he was. Her face was pale in the dim light, but she hadn't been sleeping.

Nick was sitting in the seat behind her and he leaned over, resting his arms on her short head rest. Rochelle was beside him, head resting on her hand as she gazed out of the window. She was near sleep, but anxious enough to stay awake. Ellis was behind the wheel with Keith in the passenger seat, the two of them talking to stay awake through the night.

"I want to ask you about the fish you drew." He whispered.

"The what?" She asked, giving him a look of confusion.

"On the wall of the cabin. You made that big mural and there was a fish on it, but you never mentioned it."

"What made you think about that?"

"It wasn't there in the morning. I only realized it tonight and...well...I had to know why. It's actually why I am here now." He admitted, trying not to sound as dumb as he felt.

"You left the only place you felt safe because you wanted to ask me about a drawing of a koi?" Morgan asked. "Nick, I don't believe that for a second."

"Why would I lie? Even I could come up with something better than that. I could feed you some bull shit about how I'm madly in love with you and can't bear to be away from you even if it means risking my own safety." He laughed nervously.

"That would be bull shit." She smiled. "You seriously want to know?"

"Yes." Nick sighed.

"I left it out of the story because she wanted to hear a happy story. The fish is death." She replied, looking him in the eyes.

"Oh." He uttered, thinking about it for a minute. "But...it was so bright and colorful..."

"Sometimes death is a beautiful thing." Morgan smiled.

"That's...charming."

"I hope that satisfied your curiousity."

"You didn't explain why it was gone in the morning."

"Well..." Morgan spoke, keeping her voice low. "I can't answer that. I don't know the reason either."

"What do you mean?"

"Someone else must have rubbed it off, because I didn't." She whispered back. "I'm not concerned, so you shouldn't be either."

Nick leaned back into his seat, thinking about what she just said. He decided that he would ask her later about the portion of the story she hadn't told. But for now, he was tired. Nick leaned his head on his hand and let his eye lids fall.

In the opposite Jeep, Kaylee rested her head on Zack's firm shoulder. The ride had been mostly silent. She looked up at the sky light from under her dark eyelashes at the clouds rolling in and blanketing the stars. If it rained, they might have to pull over, and the thought of staying still out in the dark emptiness of an unknown world frightened her.

"You're shivering." Zack spoke. "Are you cold?"

"A little." She replied quietly.

He reached down into the box beside him and pulled out a red fleece blanket they had taken from the base. Draping it over her, he pulled her in a little closer. "Better?"

"M'hmm." She smiled, closing her eyes.

With her bundled up so comfortably beside him, Zack almost forgot about everything else around him. The soft swell of her chest with each breath was like a gift bringing him a sense of calm. No matter how close he got, it never seemed to be close enough. He didn't want to ever let her go.

Alan squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again, forehead throbbing in pain. Cold sweat ran down his brow as he tried to stay alert. His shaggy black hair hung down in his eyes and as he reached up to push it away, a sharp ringing sounded in his ears. His eyes snapped open as he saw the other Jeep speeding up, Keith hollering and laughing as they reved the engine. Alan blinked hard again, and saw the tail lights blare red as the sound of crumpling metal and shattered glass cut through the cold silence of night. He slammed on his brakes just beside the other car, slowly turning his head in disbelief.

A large buck was laying across the hood, head and antlers shoved through the passenger side window. The entire front end was sprayed with blood and glass, one hoof still twitching as the animal slowly died. He saw Ellis lift his face from the steering wheel, nose bent to one side. The dead beast blocked Alan's view of Keith, but the look in Ellis' eyes said all he needed to know.

"Alan!" Coach barked.

Alan's eyes snapped open as he jerked the wheel, steering back onto the road. He had drifted onto the shoulder. He quickly looked to his side and saw the other Jeep driving along just a few feet behind in the opposite lane.

"Boy, what is the matter with you?" Coach asked. "You falling asleep at the wheel?"

"I'm sorry I-" He choked. Before he could continue, he saw Ellis speeding up. Alan slammed his hand down on the horn and again the brake lights from the second Jeep flashed. Though this time, there had been no horrible sound to go with it. Alan hit the brakes as well, coming to a stop just beside the other vehicle. Keith leaned out and pushed his hat up with his thumb.

"Everythang okay, Al?" Keith asked.

"Look!" Kaylee pointed, leaning forward between Alan and Coach.

Everyone turned their gaze in the direction she was pointing. A large buck had wandered into the road, crossing with two females close behind. It stopped just a few feet away from the cars and looked at the survivors with large black eyes. Alan looked at it, and the magnificant creature returned his gaze. His antlers were littered with decayed flesh, an eyeball hanging like a Christmas ornament. Nobody said anything as they watched the deer slowly turn away and continue to walk across the road, coats stained with the filth of infected.

"They're immune." Kaylee whispered. "Just like us. They...they are fighting back, right? You saw that, right?"

"Yeah..." Zack replied, licking his dry lips in thought.

In the other car, they had come to the same conclusion. "Well I'll be a monky's uncle..." Keith muttered. "That buck there is protectin' his ladies. Shoot, now there is something you don't see everyday."

"And we almost hit them." Morgan spoke.

Ellis looked over at Alan just as Alan turned to look at him. Ellis' eyes widened as he remembered a time from so long ago, when he had fallen at the carnival. He had been holding on for his life, and he had locked eyes with Alan. Alan...had turned away.

Ellis sat there in shock as the other Jeep slowly picked up speed and continued on.

"Ellis, you want to give it some gas?" Nick asked.

"Guys, I suddenly don't feel too well." Ellis frowned.

"Come on, Buddy." Keith said, unbuckling his belt. "I'll take over fer a bit."

* * *

><p><em>We drove until the sun rose. It was easier that way. As brave as we all act, none of us want to stand still in the darkness. Only a fool would pull over to sleep on these roads.<em>

_Seeing the deer sent a chill down my spine. They did not seem like the innocent animals of the Discovery channel anymore. They were cold and empty, their eyes void of anything save the glow of our own headlights. The others saw them as a little ray of hope, happy that a select few humans were not the only creatures that had been born immune. I sat silently as they discussed it the next morning as we made camp in the middle of the road for a small meal of dry bread and water. Those deer were not a sign of hope to me. They were just a reflection of what we have all become._

_We are all empty inside now. All we want to do is live and we can only do that if we stay together. But no amount of love will be enough to save us from our instincts. Someday soon, I think it will be hard to tell the difference between the dirt smeared face of a friend and the dirt smeared face of an infected. I love my friends with all my heart. I do not want to see any of them suffer like this any longer. But, I will stay positive. The last thing we need is another able body succumbing to madness. After all, the sun has risen again and we are all alive. We each have something to share and for now, that is enough._

_-The Recovered Journal of Morgan Ambrose, dated December 2nd, 2011._

Morgan looked up from her worn journal, tapping her pencil on the page as she gazed up at the sky. Her blonde hair had come loose from her braid and was whipping around her face in the wind. Her cheeks were pink with cold, but her thick jacket kept her warm.

Ellis walked over and kissed her cheek. "Still writing in that thing?"

"Yeah." She smiled. "It keeps my hands busy."

"You outta put your gloves back on. Your hands are shivering."

"Okay, okay." Morgan replied, putting her pencil and little journal into her messenger bag before pulling on her black gloves.

"We're gonna leave in a minute. Nick is driving for a while and I was hoping you'd sit by me." He smiled.

"Of course I will, El." She laughed. "Why wouldn't I?"

"You seemed kinda distant ever since the...box incident..." He replied nervously, looking down at his feet. "I'm just worried about ya is all."

"I'm sorry." She frowned. "I feel so different ever since I fell. It's hard to explain. I'm okay though, I promise."

"How is your arm?" He asked.

She looked down at the plaster cast that covered her wrist all the way to her elbow. "It doesn't bother me at all. I think everyone over reacted."

"You could get your legs bitten off by a shark and as we were rushin' you to the hospital, you would yell at us fer over reacting." He smiled, giving her a smirk.

"That is not true." Morgan laughed, getting up from where she sat.

Ellis put a hand on her waist as they walked back to the Jeep. Alan was standing beside the other vehicle, hands deep in the pockets of his doctor coat as he watched the couple climb in. The black turtle neck he wore under the coat made his dark brown eyes and black hair seem that much darker as he stared.

Behind him, Coach got behind the wheel and leaned out of the window. "Come on, Alan. I don't want to leave you behind."

"I'm coming." He spoke, finally looking away. Alan turned on his heel and walked slowly around the back of the car, stance narrow from the cold. His right hand stroked the pistol in his pocket absently as he walked.

* * *

><p>"Can we pull over?" Rochelle asked after several hours had passed. "I don't feel too good."<p>

Nick nodded and pulled onto the shoulder just as Rochelle opened the door and fell out. The other car stopped a few feet behind and the doors opened. As Rochelle fell to her knees and vomited, Keith jumped out and began rubbing her shoulders.

"There, there." He spoke softly. "You'll be alright you just let it all out."

"What happened?" Kaylee asked, running over to the others.

"I think she's just car sick." Nick replied.

"I'm fine." Rochelle choked between heaves. "Just a minute."

Alan stood beside the Jeep with the same dark look in his eyes. "She's infected."

"What?" Coach gasped. "Alan, she was a carrier but they treated her. She's just car sick."

"We've been in cars for months." Alan growled. "Carriers are time bombs and that medicine wasn't perfect. It was new. It seemed to have worked but look at her and tell me she doesn't look pale."

Coach slowly turned his gaze back to Rochelle. Her pretty brown skin was indeed much lighter, dark circles forming around her eyes.

Rochelle stood up slowly and leaned against the Jeep. She raised her hands to her face and covered her eyes, the brightness of day suddenly starting to overwhelm her. Her arms were shaking and she felt Keith's gentle touch on her shoulder.

She moved her hands and saw the others slowly circling around her. Vision blurry, she saw their worried expressions and heard mumbled words. Her dark eyes widened in horror as she realized what was happening. Her stomach felt hot again, like it was going to pop inside of her.

"I'm not okay." She whispered, a pained smile plastered on her lips. "No..."

Keith took her by both shoulders and pulled her into his arms. "Rochelle, don't you be talkin' like that, Pretty Lady. You'll be just fine now."

She pushed him back gently as she rested all of her weight against the Jeep. "Please..." She spoke, hot tears burning her eyes as they slid down her cheeks. "Make the pain stop."

"No..." Kaylee moaned. "Rochelle, don't talk like that!"

Rochelle did not reply, her lips quivering as she held in the choking sobs that stung her lungs.

Alan stepped forward and touched Rochelle's shoulder. He leaned in and whispered something in her ear. She nodded, eyes squeezed tight as her body continued to shake. He took her by the hand and led her back to the Jeep he had been riding in while everyone else stood in shocked horror.

They walked behind the Jeep, out of everyone's view. Alan held her hand and she squeezed it with the all strength she had left. "I'm scared." She whispered, bottom lip shaking.

"Everything will be okay now." Alan spoke, tears in his eyes as he leaned in and kissed her forehead. "I love you, Rochelle. We all do, so much."

"I love you too." She sobbed. "Kill the bastards, Alan. Kill them all for me."

"We will."

She refused to open her eyes, but if she had, Alan would've seen them glazing over with a thick orange film. He took the pistol from his pocket and aimed it at her forehead without touching her skin. She trembled, but she was already slipping away into infection. He squeezed the trigger.

"No!" Kaylee screamed, falling to her knees. "No!"

Zack dropped down and pulled her against him, rocking her in his arms. "Kaylee, she is better now. She doesn't hurt anymore."

Morgan stood with her hair whipping her cheeks once more. She turned away and wiped her eye, walking back to the Jeep.

Coach took a deep breath and folded his arms, walking in front of the jeep as he whispered the Hail Mary.

"Good night, Rochelle." Nick whispered, turning away and climbing back into the driver's seat.

Alan and Keith dug a shallow grave by the side of the road for her, covering the top with stones to keep any wild animals from digging her up. Nick had refused to get out of the car, not wanting anyone to see him grieve, not after crying in front of Kaylee and Ellis. The others gathered around in a circle, looking down at the makeshift cross they constructed with two strips of torn cardboard. Kaylee took her necklace from around her throat and draped it over the marker, tears drying on her icy cheeks.

Zack put his arm around her shoulder when she stood back up. He remained stoic in his grief as he worried in his mind. _I took the same medicine she did. Am I next?_


	30. Children

_Ellis woke up in a building he had never seen before (at least not any building he could remember). He rubbed his eyes and looked around. The walls were a soft tan color with framed pictures on the walls as well as bright windows that looked out at the view of a beautiful city scape. It was midday judging by the light streaming in to the peaceful apartment. As he moved into the room, he noticed two large white sofas, much nicer than anything he had ever owned. What really caught his attention was the woman in the room. She sat on the couch with her bare legs tucked under her, typing away on a slim black laptop computer. Her soft blonde hair was pulled into a messy bun and there was a bright yellow pencil between her red lips. She would type for a moment, and then look down at a tattered book beside her._

_"Morgan?" He spoke, standing behind the couch._

_She made no movement that she had even heard him, just going back and forth between reading and typing. Ellis was beyond confused but he recognized the beaten book on the seat beside her. It was the same one Morgan had been scribbling in since he met her, but he'd never really questioned it._

_He moved around and stood in front of her. She looked older now, but had not lost her beauty with her age. "Morgan? Did I do somethin' wrong?"_

_Again nothing, not even a blink of an eye. He scratched his head and looked around the room again. This time he saw a little girl sitting cross-legged in the corner, surrounded by stuffed toys and coloring books. Ellis walked over and looked down at her as she carefully added pink hues to the black and white outline of a horse. He guessed she was only about five years old by her size. She had fine brown hair that curled at the ends much like his own but he could not see her face because of the way her shaggy hair hung down over it._

_"Hey there." He smiled. "What's your name?"_

_The little girl did not respond to him either. Now he was getting worried. Ellis looked up at the room again and walked over to the framed photos. The first one he approached was Morgan, looking much more like how he knew her now. She was in a hospital bed, a newborn baby in her arms. In the corner of the picture he could see a tall man standing with his hands in his pockets, looking sadly at the child._

_"Nick?" Ellis mumbled to himself. "What in the world...?"_

_Glancing away from the picture, he caught sight of something horrid. There was a mirror on the wall and in it he saw his own reflection. His face was barely there at all, most of his skin torn away to show muscle and bone. One eye was gone entirely as well as his left ear, which was now just a dripping dark hole._

Ellis snapped awake, screaming at the top of his lungs. Nick slammed on the brakes in panic, burning the rubber of the tires with a loud screech as he did so. Sensing trouble, the other Jeep slowed to a halt some feet ahead.

Morgan grabbed onto Ellis' arm, "El, baby what's wrong? Are you okay?"

He looked over at her, green eyes wide with fear as cold sweat dripped from his forehead. He pressed his hands against her cheeks, smoothing her skin beneath his thumbs. "You can see me?"

"Yes." She nodded slowly.

"Oh man, I just had the worst dream!" He gasped. "Morgan, you were there and Nick you were there too kinda!"

Nick slowly moved his hand to his temple. "Fascinating."

"Everyone was dead." Ellis frowned. "I think. I know I was dead. It was real weird, like something out of a bad movie. Like, it was filmed good but-"

"Ellis!" Nick snapped. "Is now the best time?"

"Okay..." Ellis spoke quietly. "Sorry, Nick."

Morgan stroked his hair. "It was just a dream, Ellis. We're all going to be okay."

Alan and Coach were already walking toward Nick's side of the car. Nick leaned over and unrolled the window just as Coach appeared by his side.

"Everything okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, yeah." Nick sighed. "Ellis had a bad dream."

"What kind of dream? Was there a deer?" Alan asked from over Coach's shoulder.

"Nope. But there was a little kid and-"

"Ellis, please." Nick said, raising a hand. "Coach, we're all fine now. Can we keep rolling?"

Coach looked behind Nick at Ellis and Morgan, then Keith and Nick. "Yeah, alright. We're stopping in a few hours, sooner if we find a good safe house."

"I'm just following you, Old Man." Nick replied.

Coach shook his head and walked away, Alan following close behind.

* * *

><p>As it turned out, they would be stopping sooner than they expected. In a scene very similar to one they had experienced out in Georgia, the road ahead was littered with hundreds of abandoned cars. It was as if everyone fleeing the outbreak had decided that this would be the perfect place to stop and had run off barefoot into the hills celebrating their triumphant escape. At least, that was how Kaylee imagined it to make herself feel better.<p>

Trying to drive around had proven too dangerous, the steep drop a few feet from the road too big a risk to take. With precious few hours of daylight left to find shelter, the group took what they could carry and moved between the empty cars. Coach walked in front, eyes scanning the horizon for any movement. Zack and Alan were close behind him, peering into every car they passed to make sure infected weren't trapped inside. But the eerie road was just as empty as it looked, which was almost worse than it being filled with monsters. Almost.

The first building they came to would serve as their shelter for the night to come. The large clearing in the trees beside the road led to a short dirt driveway up to an old motorcycle pub. There were a few bikes abandoned here as well as a few cars (Not counting the vehicles left on the road). The building had wood siding and a tin roof, with wooden beams that connected to the awning overhead. The sign in the window said 'closed', but that was only a decoration at this point. The barred windows had most likely once served as a defense against bar fights, but now they would really be put to the test. Coach stepped up to the front door, everyone behind him looking around in every direction for trouble. The door was locked, the firm metal it was made from too solid to break through.

"Maybe there's a door round back." Ellis spoke up.

Coach nodded and they moved around the corner of the building, stepping over a fallen trash can and motorcycle before finding the back entrance in a small alcove. When Coach tested the handle, it clicked once and came open.

"It looks like we got a little luck tonight." He chuckled nervously, letting the door swing open as he held up his shotgun. Besides a little dust and one lonely moth, nothing jumped out at them from the shadows. He stepped inside and clicked on his flash light, casting the beam into every corner of the small room. Light bounced off the shiny surfaces of the stainless still fridge and counter tops. There was also a beaten grill and some boxes of canned goods. The smell from the fridge was pungent, hinting to the fact that whatever was inside should be left alone.

"This room is clear." Coach spoke again. "Someone come with me into the bar."

Zack pulled away from Kaylee and followed after Coach, holding his pistols firmly. The two of them moved quietly into the bar and looked around, shining their lights into the shadows. A green lamp hung silently over a dusty pool table, undisturbed by their presence. In the corner was a red jukebox and some Midnight Riders posters, covered with the same thin sprinkling of dust. A few circular tables littered the other side of the room, just opposite of the long bar. One stool was tipped over, but nothing else seemed out of place. Nick had walked in by this point and opened the door into the men's bathroom. It was dirty, with only two stalls and one sink. Coach checked the women's bathroom next to it and found much of the same only it smelled much nicer.

Keith closed and bolted the back door once everyone was inside and the building was declared clear. After pulling up some blinds and lighting a few candles, the bar didn't seem as scary.

"I wonder how long those cars go on for." Kaylee spoke out loud.

"Hard to say." Coach answered, sitting down in one of the booths. "But once we find the end, we can see about taking some good ones for ourselves."

"I hope there's a big 'ol monster truck in the lead." Keith laughed, miming a steering wheel. "I got dibs if there is."

"Keith, don't be dumb." Ellis smiled. "Normal people don't own monster trucks. That is like the odds of finding a race car or a camel or something."

"You drove a stock car." Morgan pointed out.

"Damn right I did." Ellis said proudly. "You think the car is okay out there?"

"It's a car." Nick sighed.

"It isn't just a car, Nick. That car belonged to Jimmy Gibbs Jr." He defended.

Morgan walked up to the front door and undid the latch on the dead bolt. Using her shoulder to push the door open, she got a second look at the view out on the road. Most of the cars seemed to have stopped right where they were driving, but others were off the road as if they had swerved to avoid something before stopping. Her eyes narrowed as she made a mental note to record for later. Ellis walked up behind her and pulled the door closed.

"Sorry, Babe. Too close to night to have that open." He apologized.

"It's alright." She replied absentmindedly, "Just making sure it worked."

"Who wants a drink?" Nick smirked, taking a few bottles out from under the counter. "Come on, I'm buying."

"None for me." Kaylee spoke, holding up her hand. "I get a little crazy when I drink."

"That's putting it lightly." Zack laughed.

"Zack!" She laughed, giving him a shove.

"I'll have somethin'." Keith smiled, taking a seat at the bar beside Alan.

"You know I will." Coach replied, getting a few glasses out.

As the boys all moved around the counter for their drinks, Morgan moved over to the window. There was something off about the scene on the road and she couldn't get the thought out of her head. It had been too long since they had seen any infected, not that she missed them. Sitting down on top of the table nearest the window, she took out her journal and opened up to two blank pages. Morgan silently sketched out the line of cars as best she could, thinking that the solution would come to her later.

"Morgan, what's your poison?" Nick called.

"Skin and bones." She smiled, concentrating on her work.

Nick looked under the counter to see if they had any coke. It took a bit of searching but he eventually came up with a few warm cans. He took out a glass and poured some in with a generous amount of rum. Since it didn't look like she'd be joining the boys at the bar, he walked over and set the glass down beside her.

"Thank you." She replied, glancing up at him briefly.

Kaylee walked over to the bar. "I found a deck of cards. Who wants to teach me how to play something fun?"

"I could teach ya go fish." Keith smiled. "Course I don't remember all the rules."

Ellis laughed and sipped at his beer. "There are only two rules. Besides that's a kid game."

"A while ago someone mentioned strip poker." Alan smiled softly, eyes on the counter as he ran his fingers along the side of his glass.

"Uh…we're mostly men." Ellis scowled.

"You must be bad at poker then." Alan laughed. "Or you have something to hide."

"It ain't happening." Ellis said firmly.

"We could play for money." Kaylee offered.

"You mean the paper we've been burning to stay warm?" Coach chuckled. "Might as well be betting twigs."

"It's going to be a long night." Zack sighed, wiping his hand along the dusty juke box.

* * *

><p>That night was brighter than it should have been, thanks to the full moon. There were no clouds in the dark sky as the stars looked down at the lonely little biker stop. Candles flickered in the windows, making the building appear warmer than it actually was.<p>

Inside everyone has split into two groups. Coach, Alan, Keith, and Zack where at the bar all close together as they snacked on old peanuts and tossed the shells into an open jar at the far end. Needless to say, there were few shells actually in the jar. On the middle of the floor, the others had laid out sleeping bags in a large cluster. It was warmer to stay close together, but nobody was quite ready for sleep yet. There were several candles littered around the floor, casting a dim orange glow that threw shadows on the wall.

Nick sat cross legged, suit jacket tossed aside. He was in his tattered white pants and white wife beater, hair slightly messy. He had a beer in one hand, the other resting on the sleeping bag behind him.

"Wait, wait." Nick smiled. "I'm confused. Tell it again but slower."

Morgan sighed happily and rolled onto her back, looking up at the black ceiling. Her hair wasn't tied back for the first time in a while, fanning out under her head. She raised her hands up, trying to explain again.

"The fish is death. Death is a beautiful fish."

"No I got that part." Nick spoke. "After that."

"Shoot, Nick." Ellis moaned, rubbing his eyes. "You think you're confused. I never even heard the first part of the story."

Ellis was sitting across from Nick, the only thing missing from his outfit was his boots. His face was smudged with dirt and the scratch on his nose still hadn't healed entirely.

"All of the elements had been alive for thousands of years." Morgan explained. "They had become so used to each other, that they no longer found joy in seeing each other. A new creature was made from the darkness that had always been there. The darkness named this thing Death, and let it free into the water in the form of a beautiful fish."

Morgan craned her neck and looked up at them, smiling as she saw how closely they were paying attention. "The fish swam up to the surface and ate up all of the flower petals one...by…one." She continued, pointing at each of them with the last three words.

"What did they do?" Kaylee asked, a hint of fear in her round grey eyes. She was sitting with her legs underneath her, hands rested on her thighs. Morgan had been a story teller for as long as she had known her, and she had never heard the same story twice. It was a comfort.

"They? You mean all the other elements?"

Kaylee nodded.

"Nobody notices when a few little petals go missing." Morgan continued, laying her hands over her stomach. "Death had a hunger that could not be satisfied. When there were no more flowers, it went after the land. It grew in size the more it ate. By the time Death was noticed, it was too late to stop it. And with no way to stop it, they had no choice…but to accept it."

"What does that mean?" Nick asked.

"It means that nothing lives forever. Even the tallest trees will eventually fall." She replied. "It is up to us to make sure we have something to take our place when our time is done."

"You mean like babies?" Ellis asked.

"Exactly. Death is not as fast as Life. Life will always win." She smiled, closing her eyes. "Life has more on its side…like hope, love, and beauty."

"You sound like a hippie." Nick laughed, taking a drink from his beer.

Morgan sat up, sweeping her long hair to the side with a move of her hand. She was close to his face, closer than she had ever been. "You should learn to love before it is too late." Morgan whispered, eyes staring straight into his.

Nick was nervous and uncomfortable, her eyes cutting through him sharper than any blade. Just as quickly as she came, she was gone. He blinked several times before even registering that she had gotten up to take her half empty glass to the bar. Nick slowly turned his head, expecting to see Ellis glaring at him. But he was wrong. Ellis was looking out of the dark window, completely unaffected.

_That must be what trust is like._ Nick thought to himself.

It was when Morgan turned around to walk back to Ellis and the others when she saw something move outside of the window. She froze in place, trying to put a name to the shape of the shadows outside.

"Get away from the windows." She spoke; just quiet enough for those in the room to hear.

Ellis looked back at her but knew better than to ask questions. He took Kaylee gently by the arm and led her over to the bar, Nick close behind.

"What is it?" Nick whispered, everyone already moving around her.

Morgan pointed and they all saw the shapes.

"Jockeys?" Coach whispered.

"Naw, the shape ain't right." Ellis replied in a hushed tone.

One of the mysterious figured moved slowly toward the building and stood in the dead center of the window. Her hair was cut short and was as dark as the sky behind her. Her skin was pale and covered in sores, eyes washed out and lifeless. She couldn't have been more than seven years old.

"Children." Morgan stammered.

"CEDA didn't say nothing about children." Ellis croaked.

"They've been mutating like crazy." Alan said defensively. "I'm sure we haven't received the most up-to-date information."

"I can't shoot a child." Kaylee spoke. "That is where I draw the line."

"They can't get in if we don't open the door." Nick spoke. "Just stay calm and maybe it will go away."

Soon the little girl was joined by another and then a little boy. None of them could have been older than eight. The fourth to join them may have only been three. Zack had to hold his hand over Kaylee's mouth to keep her from screaming. She closed her eyes as hot tears rolled onto his hand, unable to cope with the thought of little children suffering.

Morgan broke away from the small cluster and walked toward the window. Ellis reached out to grab her but missed by mere centimeters. "Em! Get back here!" He hissed in fear.

She looked back at them, "I have a feeling."

Alan stood up straight and watched her, dark brown eyes moving between her and the children.

Her hand shook as she reached up slowly and pressed it against the cold glass. The little boy just below it reached up his own hand and clumsily pressed it against the window, tiny stained fingers unable to straighten all the way.

"Hush, little baby, don't say a word…" Morgan sang softly. " Papa's gonna buy you a mocking bird…"

The children all looked up at her, reaching up their own hands to the window.

"And if that mocking bird don't sing…Papa's gonna buy you a diamond ring…"

Nick would later remember this moment as the point in his life where he learned what it truly meant to love. He stood helplessly with tears burning the backs of his eyes as he watched a young woman trying to sooth the frightened minds of helplessly sick children with a nursery rhyme. That was what love was. He had never expected to see humanity in a time like this, where the term "dog eat dog world" had a sick new meaning. The question in everyone's mind about what had happened to all the children had finally been answered. The same thing happened to them as everyone else, but it was hard to tell through the dirty window just how dangerous that change really was. For the first time in his life, Nick felt human. He felt mortal.

Something large and dark was approaching behind the little zombie children. It moved in the dark like an entire mountain sliding across the horizon and everyone saw it but Morgan.

"Morgan, look out!" Kaylee yelled, pulling Zack's hand from her lips.

She looked up just as the creature slammed against the frame. As she fell to the floor, she moved her hands up over her face to protect herself from the falling glass. The candle on the sill fell to the floor, catching the table leg on fire. As the blaze quickly spread up the leg of the table, the bear's angry face was caught in the bright light. It's fur was matted with blood as it attacked the infected children. Kaylee screamed the loudest, but nobody in the room was silent. It caught the littlest girl in its jaws and tore her in half, flinging her aside like garbage as its claws raked through the little boy. They did not cry out, seemingly unaware of the pain they must be in. Ellis grabbed Morgan up from the ground and pulled her back against the far wall with the others. Keith grabbed his shot gun but Alan forced the barrel down.

"What the hell?" Keith yelled.

"Wait!" Alan hissed. "It isn't after us."

When the bear had broken the neck of the last child, it fell to all four paws and sniffed the air. For a moment it locked eyes with the terrified people inside, just as the deer had before. It sniffed again, but when it lowered its head and walked away, it did not look back. Cold wind blew in from the open window, making everyone shudder even worse than they already were. Keith grabbed a nearby sleeping bag and smothered the small blaze.

"Morgan, what were you thinking?" Ellis yelled, holding her by the shoulders.

"They were children, Ellis!" She retorted. "Even if they tried to attack, it would have been easy to brush them aside. They were frightened and helpless! Children, Ellis!"

"I don't care if they were baby bunnies." He glared. "They were infected and infected are dangerous."

"Lay off." Nick growled. "She's human. She wasn't in any danger."

"Did you miss the bear entirely?" He yelled, letting go of Morgan and facing Nick. "I'm just trying to keep my own safe. It ain't your business."

"Oh yeah? Well I care about her too, alright? I care about all of you assholes!"

"Yeah. 'Care' about her." Zack scoffed, holding a fist over his crotch and shaking it in a vulgar manner.

"I'll beat your fucking head in." Nick warned, pointing a finger at Zack.

"Would everyone stop fighting?" Coach yelled.

"It's never going to stop." Alan sighed, sitting back down.

"A bear just murdered a bunch of kids." Kaylee spoke quietly. "Can we at least have a moment of silence?"

"Yes, please." Morgan nodded, walking over to Kaylee and putting an arm around her.

Ellis looked around, Keith shrugging and picking up a fresh glass. As the girls bowed their heads, the guys stared at the walls and ceiling nervously.

Nick looked over at Zack again angrily. The punk was doing that same mime routine only this time he was mouthing 'Morgan' and biting his lip. "That's it." Nick snapped, grabbing a bottle off the counter and hurling it at Zack. It crashed and shattered against his chest, making him yell out in pain.

"Zack!" Kaylee yelled, rushing over to him as he staggered.

"It was a joke, you bastard!" Zack snapped.

Alan moved over to Zack, already opening up his medical bag. "Don't touch it. I'm getting my tweezers."

"Don't play with me, Kid." Nick warned. "I can do a lot worse."

Coach took Nick by the shoulder and walked him over to the other end of the bar. "Come on, man. Just sit down for a while."

Nick sat down and ran his hands through his hair, messing it up even more. "I can't stand this right now."

"Just ignore him, Nick. I know you're better than that. I talked you out of Kaylee and I know you don't need me talking you out of that one."

"Right…" Nick sighed, squeezing his eyes. "Wait, what do you mean?"

"Not only would Ellis gut you like a fish," Coach chuckled. "but you would drive yourself crazy trying to keep up with a woman like that. Just leave her be. I ain't saying you were thinking about it, but just take my advice."

Nick sighed and looked over at Ellis, watching him touch Morgan's cheek in apology. She said something to him that he couldn't hear and then kissed him softly on the lips.

"It's too late." Nick mumbled to himself, reaching over for a fresh glass to pour himself a drink.

By this time, Morgan has seated herself at the opposite end of the bar, writing in her beaten journal. Nobody seemed to notice her doing this anymore, as she had been writing more and more frequently. However, there was one person who was watching her now. His dark brown eyes were focused so intensely on her that one could almost make out the line of his vision. Alan chewed his lip, dark thoughts unknown to those around him.

* * *

><p>…<em>after Alan had gotten all the glass out of Zack, things seemed to quiet down. We moved the sleeping bags away from the windows and I snuggled in close to Ellis, the two of us sharing one bag. It makes me smile now to write it. But it was nice, probably the best sleep I had had so far. When the sun rose the next morning, we hiked along that endless stream of cars until we came to a spot where they thinned out. Most of the vehicles still had keys in the ignition, so it was matter of picking what worked best.<em>

_We took a four-seater truck and a minivan. Kaylee began to cry when we had to walk by the dead children, but she seemed to calm down when Ellis told her they were in a better place, maybe even with their parents. It is a nice thought, even if you don't believe in that sort of thing._

_We've been driving all day and I'm starting to get very hungry. I get by with light snacks but they don't seem to fill me up as good as they used to. Maybe I'm not getting all the nutrition I need? I wouldn't be surprised. I'll stop now to conserve paper, maybe try and get everyone in the truck to play I-Spy…_

_-The Recovered Journal of Morgan Ambrose, December 4__th__, 2011._

* * *

><p>An abandoned rest stop was where the remaining survivors chose to camp out for the following night. It was impossible to just keep driving on end the way they had, and even sleeping in shifts was driving everyone mad. It seemed like only Morgan was keeping track of the date anymore, but she only revealed such information when asked. Though to be honest, nobody else seemed to care.<p>

The bathrooms were dirty, though they may very well have always been that way. There were two vending machines in the nook between the different bathrooms, but without power, the soda had gone warm. A baseball bat had taken care of the problem about getting the snacks, a trick Ellis had learned from Nick.

Ellis walked over to Morgan and Keith with an armful of their favorites (Cheddar fries for Morgan and Bigfoot's tasty Jerky for Keith). The two of them got along well, and that made Ellis very happy. "Snack time, ya'll."

"Thanks." Morgan grinned, catching the bag as he tossed it.

"I can't believe they got these all the way out here." Keith spoke happily as he tore into the bag.

"It coulda' been empty and I'd still be fine just being able to walk around." Ellis replied, choosing to stand up while he ate his Twix.

"I couldn't agree more. I'm glad we have the cars but I'm starting to hate this road trip." Morgan replied.

Coach walked beside Alan and the two of them took their turn at raiding the machine. It had been ages since Coach enjoyed a chocolate bar and he was happy to find the machine had a few. Alan took some vanilla cookies and fruity candies, giving the latter to Kaylee as he walked by her and Zack.

"Thank you, Al!" She smiled, opening them up and popping a pink one into her mouth. She picked out a red one and handed it to Zack.

"Don't like cherry?" He asked, undoing the wrapper.

"I don't eat red candy, you know that." She replied.

"Do you really think now is the time to be picky?" He chuckled.

"All I'm saying is that if I am trapped in the bottom of a well with nothing to eat but red candies, I will eat them but I won't enjoy it."

"You're a nut." Zack smiled, putting an arm around her shoulder as they sat against the brick wall.

"But I'm your nut." She cooed, resting her head on his shoulder as she sucked an orange candy.

Alan paused when he saw Nick standing alone against the corner of the building, hands buried deep in his pockets as he looked up vacantly at the sky. "Nick?"

Nick looked back at him, "What?"

Alan took that as an invitation to approach. "You seem upset."

"You got anything in your bag for stress?" He asked with a sigh, not enough happiness left in him to be sarcastic.

"Oh." Alan uttered, expecting a snarky remark. "I can check."

Nick turned his head and looked back up at the stars that now seemed more far away than ever. Alan pulled his hefty medical bag off of his back and unzipped it, shifting through the contents for something that might help. He set the bag down and walked over to Nick, holding out a tightly wrapped joint.

Nick looked down at it. "Pot? Where the hell did you even get that?"

"A soldier at the base. He told me it was 'The good shit'. I'm not a smoking man myself but I didn't want to be rude." Alan explained.

Nick thought it over for a moment before reaching out and taking it from him. "Sure, alright. What the hell, right?"

"Do you need a light?"

"Yeah."

"I don't have one."

Nick sighed, "Then why offer?"

"I didn't offer, I asked." Alan frowned.

"Fuck off. Please." Nick groaned.

Alan walked away with his head down, back toward Ellis and the others. Kaylee saw him as he approached. "What's wrong, Alan?"

"I can't do anything right." He sighed.

"What happened?"

"I don't have a lighter..."

Kaylee wasn't sure what to say to that, but she did have what he was looking for. She stood up and dug into her coat pocket and produced a small Bic lighter. "Here." She smiled, tossing it to him.

"You're the best." Alan grinned, catching it before scurrying off to bring it to Nick.

"I wonder what that was all about." Ellis wondered.

"With Alan, it is better not to ask." Morgan giggled.

Alan had not heard her, as he was already by Nick's side. "I got you one."

Nick only held out a hand and waited for Alan to drop it in. "You want any of it?"

"Of course not." Alan replied. "Don't smoke it all at once though. I don't think that would be wise."

"It's pot, not heroin." Nick laughed lightly.

Alan sighed and walked away a second time, collapsing onto a picnic table beside Coach.

* * *

><p>Nick waited until Alan was long gone to stand up and try out the soldier's old favorite. Nothing made him truly happy anymore, and even the few years prior had been nothing compared to the hell he was in now. The hand-rolled paper glowed as it caught and he brought it to his lips, taking a small puff.<p>

_This is good shit_. He thought, a slow smile slowly curling onto his grizzled face.

Before it was even a third gone, the effects already had a strangle-hold on his mind. Whatever this man had given Alan, it wasn't just some home grown leaf. Nick laughed to himself and looked up at the sky, quickly sucked into a trance. He stood in wonder, looking up at the billions of stars. Nick felt small, smaller than he had ever felt before. Slowly spinning in a lazy circle, he tried to look at every star all at once.

When he finally looked back down, the dirty restrooms and picnic tables were gone. The entire dark sky had melted down all around him like a drape pulled over a window. Everything was dark with thousands of glowing dots in every direction. He stopped spinning and looked ahead vacantly, lips parted slightly. A figure he knew well stepped out of the vast nothing around him like an apparition. Her wide blue eyes were staring right into his, through his. Her normally long blonde hair now swirled around her head like a vibrant galaxy, hues of pink and purple making up a magical nebula of hair. Her naked body was dark blue and covered with billions of stars, those eyes the only part of her that had not changed in his delusion.

He reached a hand out to touch her, but she was too far away. She floated just out of reach, dark lips puckered in a waiting kiss that he wanted very badly. Nick took another step, arm still outstretched as he tried to catch a girl that wasn't there.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Alan." Kaylee spoke as she approached the picnic table some time later. "Can I get that lighter back?"<p>

"Why do you need it?" Alan asked, looking away from Coach.

"The fire is threatening to go out and I want to jump start it."

"Oh." Alan frowned. "I don't have it. I'm sorry."

"Who does?"

"I gave it to Nick so he could smoke some pot."

"Wait...what?" Kaylee asked. "Please tell me you're kidding."

Alan shook his head no.

"Who is he with?" Coach asked, this having been the first he had heard about it.

"What do you mean?" Alan asked. "He's by himself. He always is."

"Oh my fucking gosh." Kaylee sighed, raising her hands to her head. "Drugs. Alone. At night. This is just great!"

"We better find him before he goes missing." Coach spoke, standing up.

"He is by the bathroom." Alan replied, getting up quickly.

The three of them ran over to the spot Alan directed, but the only thing they found was the remains of some paper and a line of charred ash where the joint had burned itself out. Kaylee turned around and gave Alan the harshest glare she could muster. "If he's dead, I will never forgive you. Do you understand me?"

Alan's eyes widened as he realized the horrible mistake he'd made. "Oh no..."

"We might be able to find him if we look now. I'll go get everyone else. Kaylee, Alan, you two start looking around the area. Just don't go too far."

Kaylee nodded and pulled out a pistol. Alan followed after her and the two walked away into the darkness with only Alan's flash light to guide them. Nick's shoes left prints in the soft ground, and they followed those toward the nearby forest. As it grew darker, the chill had turned into cold.

"Nick!" Kaylee called, hoping it wouldn't startle nearby infected.

* * *

><p>"You let her go off with him?" Ellis yelled, throwing down his hat in anger. "That lunatic tried ta kill me once already and now he is out there alone with Zack's girl!"<p>

"Ellis, what the hell are you talking about?" Coach snapped.

"When I fell at the carnival, Alan saw me and turned his back. I woulda fell if Nick hadn't grabbed me!"

"Why didn't you mention that before?"

"In my panic I forgot about it!" Ellis defended. "We gotta go, man!"

Zack stood firmly. "Ellis is right, there is something seriously fucked up with that guy. Look how easily he offed Rochelle!"

Keith picked up his gun, "Looks like we got ourselves a man hunt."

"Now everyone calm down." Coach growled. "Nobody is killing anybody. We are going to find Nick and bring him back. Anything regarding Alan will wait until after, you hear me?"

"Alright, okay." Ellis nodded.

Keith cocked his shot gun. "If I see anything wrong, I shoot first and ask questions later."

"There's smart thinking." Zack sighed with an eye roll.

"You got a problem?" Keith sneered.

Morgan held onto Zack's arm. "Guys, stop! There are more important things at stake right now!"

Ellis picked up his hunting rifle from beside his bench and walked off in the direction Coach had come from. "Come on, ya'll."

* * *

><p>"Stop yelling like that." Alan spoke harshly, putting his hand over her mouth. "You want zombies to hear you?"<p>

Kaylee squirmed against his grip, her muffled yells silenced against his cold palm. He had her arm in his grasp and he showed no signs of letting go.

"We will find him. We just have to keep walking." Alan whispered, forcefully guiding her with her arm behind her back.

Panic flooded her brain as she felt him pressing too hard on the arm he had twisted behind her. His other hand remained firm against her lips and she could smell his skin in her nose, the strong scent of hand sanitizer overwhelming. His grip weakened as she relaxed, and she took the chance to move her mouth up and chomp down on his hand.

Alan screamed and let go of her, holding his wounded hand. "What was that for?"

"Don't you fucking touch me." Kaylee growled, backing away from him.

"You can't yell out here." He warned, walking toward her. "You're smarter than that."

Her eyes widened. "Where is Nick, Alan?"

"Gone." He chuckled. "It's just you, me, and anything else that is evil in these woods. I gave him the pot to get you away from the others. I gave it a little something extra to make sure he'd wander away."

"Alan...why?" She asked, heart hurting. "We're in this together."

"No we aren't." He growled. "All Morgan cares about is her little book. She writes in it every day. Do you think she has already written your eulogy? Huh?" Alan spat, stalking toward her. "Our lives are some story to her! She writes and writes while we suffer and you don't do shit to help! I thought you would save us, but you're just just like her, waiting to see what happens."

"That isn't true! Alan, I want everyone to live!"

"You've already given up!" He yelled. "Well I haven't! I'm going to live and cure everyone, you'll see. You'll see it from hell. That is where I'm sending you. Morgan is next. She'll come looking for you first."

Kaylee continued to walk backwards, heart pounding in fear. Alan was an obvious threat, but anything at all could be behind her in the shadows. She reached for her gun, but it was no longer in her belt. She raised her frightened blue eyes to him, and saw that he had turned the safety off of her own pistol.

* * *

><p>The beautiful space goddess was nowhere to be found. Nick's fantasy was slipping away. He looked around at the trees surrounding him, wondering with a fuzzy mind how he had gotten there. He quickly became aware of the cold as he wrapped his arms tightly around himself, thick jacket the warmest thing he had on.<p>

"You've already given up!" Alan's voice echoed from nearby.

Nicked turned in the direction of the sound, not liking the tone of the man's voice. His steps were unsteady as he moved toward the sounds of angry chatter.

* * *

><p>"I think I heard yelling from this way." Keith declared, shining the light on his gun.<p>

Ellis jogged after Keith, the two trained hunters quickly out-running the others.

"Zack, I am really scared right now." Morgan admitted, the beam of her flash light trembling.

"You have no reason to be afraid. Everything will be okay." He spoke, trying to hide the worry in his voice.

Ellis was on Keith's heels as they tore across the field. Their boots crunched over leaves and fallen branches in hot pursuit.

"You hear anything?" Ellis asked.

"I thought I did. Hang on." Keith spoke as the two of them stopped to listen.

"You've already given up!" The voice of the mad man rang in their ears.

"That way!" Ellis commanded, fear in his voice as he ran with his rifle ready to kill.

* * *

><p>"Put the gun down, Alan." Kaylee pleaded. "It doesn't have to happen this way."<p>

There were tears in his eyes as the pistol shook in his hands. "I just want to make everything better again."

"I know, Alan. I do too. I want the world to make sense again." She pleaded.

"I have really bad aim." He whimpered.

"Just put the gun down, Alan. If you put it down, we can work together."

"I know if I fire this gun, I won't miss." Alan cried.

"Please...no." Kaylee begged, hot tears spilling over her cheeks as she stared into the narrow barrel.

"I'm sorry."

"No!" She screamed, reaching a hand out.

* * *

><p>Nick was running now as he grew panicked at the sound of the familiar voices. His eyes were bloodshot, but the small amount he had smoked had worn off enough to allow him to see things clearly. There was a bright and beautiful fish standing in the middle of a small patch of grass, shining pistol in its fin. The long elegant whiskers on his face were dripping with blood, staining the lush green grass. When the drops landed, the grass disappeared, revealing the black vastness of space underneath.<p>

Nick looked over and saw a woman made of water, drops spilling out of her eyes as she gazed at the golden koi. "Please...no." She moaned.

Death had come for the ocean. Nick ran forward, ignoring the cold wind on his face as he did his best to stay balanced.

* * *

><p>Zack heard Kaylee's scream, a freezing chill racing down his spine as he ran. He saw Alan's red jacket in the darkness and raised his gun. Seconds were bleeding by as he saw the gun in Alan's hand. Zack squeezed his eyes shut, finger pulling the trigger back on his weapon. Shock coursed through his shoulder as the rifle kicked back.<p>

Coach kicked up a cloud of dust as he stopped, dark eyes making out the fabric of Nick's white winter coat as the dazed man launched himself at Alan. Zack's shot rang in Coach's ears and the tired man closed his eyes tight in response.

* * *

><p>Alan's finger squeezed the trigger of the gun just as a heavy weight slammed hard into his left side. The pistol clicked, a noise that embedded itself in Alan's mind as he fell. Her gun wasn't loaded.<p>

He only had a brief moment to realize this before a sharp sting lit up his left shoulder and exploded outward to every inch of his body. When he hit the ground under Nick, the shattered shoulder crunched and he roared in agony, eyes rolling back in his head.

Nick pulled himself off and staggered to his feet, looking around in confusion. A man made of stone was approaching, head round and shiny like a river pebble. The galactic woman he had been chasing was standing beside a tree with a black jacket on. There was also a man who seemed transparent. This one he could identify as Ellis. Nick quickly looked over at saw the galactic one on her knees, dark and sparkling hands cupped over her mouth.

Someone in a hat like Ellis' took Nick gently by the shoulder and told him he had done good. Nick smiled, proud of himself as he let the stranger lead him away.

Zack looked down at Alan, writhing on the ground in pain. He moved the barrel of his rifle over the man's head but could not bring himself to take his life. Instead, he pulled the weapon back over his shoulder and moved over to Kaylee, guiding her up to her feet.

She buried her face against his chest and he held her there for a brief moment before leading her back to the rest stop.

Coach walked over to Alan and shook his head. "Boy, I thought we were friends. What happened? Why would you do this?"

"I just...want to cure them." Alan choked.

Kaylee began to sob, tearing herself away from Zack and running after the others. Zack tried to grab her, but she was too fast and too upset to be controlled. He ran after her, toward the safety of the cars.

"I can't kill you, Alan. You're like a son to me." Coach frowned. "But this... I can't forgive this."

"I just...want to...cure..."

Coach picked up Kaylee's pistol from where it lay on the ground. He opened the magazine and replaced it with a fresh one from his coat pocket. Laying the gun down beside Alan's hand, Coach gave his friend one last gift before walking away.

Coach was the last one to return to camp, everyone all piled up in the truck. They turned to look at him, wondering what he had done with Alan.

Coach walked around to the driver's side and climbed in, locking the doors. He leaned against the head rest and closed his eyes, feeling theirs on him. "Here on out..." He spoke. "Nobody goes off alone. Nobody lets anybody die."

* * *

><p><em>We lost Alan yesterday. Lost is a nice way to put it. In reality, I think we lost him a long time ago. He wanted to kill Kaylee, Nick, and Ellis, and I. In his twisted mind, we were enemies of the cause. His and Rochelle's death have left me feeling very hollow inside. I feel like there is more I could have done. Even if I predicted their deaths, that does not mean I was ready for them. Can someone ever really be ready to say goodbye forever?<em>

_What I said before about dying, I want to take it back. I __will not__ sit by and record another death. We will all make it, everyone that is left. I promise this to myself and to them. It may not be a promise that I can keep, but I will hold to it just as long as I can._

_As soon as we pass another road sign, I'll mark on the map where we are. The original plan was to go north but it is just too fucking cold. We just want to see the west coast now. When we hit the ocean, maybe that will be far enough._

_-The Recovered Journal of Morgan Ambrose, dated December 5th, 2011._


	31. In The Oven

_Hello, readers! I just want to take a moment to thank everyone who has been following the story. I couldn't have come this far without your criticism and praise. The story is winding down and I anticipate a minimum of ten more chapters, give or take. I finally got Xbox live, so for those of you who read and play the game as well, I'd love to hear from you and perhaps play a round together. Thanks again, Paradoxygen._

* * *

><p>Alan squinted at the harsh sunlight as he walked slowly through the barren field. His injured arm hung loosely at his side, the pain coursing through it keeping him awake. In his good hand the pistol was resting, an easy way out if he chose to accept it. He would stop every now and then to look at it and contemplate taking his own life. But there was still so much to do, and Alan didn't like to leave things unfinished.<p>

There was a crash in the nearby trees. He stopped and turned to face the sound, eyes quickly catching the ghastly site of a small group of infected. For a moment, they did not see him but that all changed when he let out a quiet cough. Their necks shot up, pale eyes locking onto his red winter jacket.

Alan was a terrible shot and he knew it. Firing his pistol would mean losing bullets and angering the people even further. Besides, he didn't want to kill them. He was a doctor. As they came rushing toward him, he planted his feet and sucked in a breath. When they were only a few feet away he let out the loudest yell he could muster. It seemed to boil up from the pit of his very soul, full of anguish and bravery. His stance did not falter and before they could attack him…they stopped.

He closed his mouth and stared at them, wondering who the last person was to see them so close. There was something human deep down in the back of their pale eyes, the dimmest of understanding. He yelled again, even angrier than before. The infected slowly shrank away.

* * *

><p>Kaylee unzipped Alan's pack as they drove along the empty highway. She figured it would be good to know what they had in case somebody got hurt, but without Alan, some of the stuff might not be useful. She pulled out a few tightly packed rolls of gauze, setting them on the seat beside her in the 'keep' pile.<p>

"Coach, should I keep the sewing kit?" She asked, looking up at the driver's seat.

"I'd say keep it. I'm sure we could figure out how to give stitches if we need to." He replied, eyes on the road.

"Okay." She smiled, setting it with the gauze. As she continued to dig through the contents, she pulled out a Ziploc bag full of something white. She held it in both hands, looking for a label and not finding one. "I found something weird."

Morgan looked back from the passenger seat and held out a hand, "Let me see."

Kaylee passed her the bag and continued to search through the pack.

"Oh boy." Morgan whistled. "I think we found the cause of Nick's little trip."

Coach glanced over at her, having to do a double take to make sure he was seeing that correctly. "Good lord!" He gasped. "Where the hell did he get all that coke?"

"More importantly, how much did he give Nick?" Morgan sighed. "What do we do with it?"

"We get rid of it." Coach said firmly.

"Well yeah, I mean how?"

"Have Nick snort it all." Zack laughed. "That'd be funny."

"Zack, that would kill him." Kaylee said, giving him the stink eye.

"So? He's just after you and Morgan. It's pathetic."

"He is not after us." Morgan sighed, stuffing the bag into the glove compartment. "I think he has just finally found himself, and that is a sad thing to find when the world as you know it has ended. He has no chance to go back and fix things now that he finally understands who he is."

"That's really sad." Kaylee frowned, pausing in her work. "He can't ever apologize to his ex-wife or find someone else. And…we've done nothing but put him down and ignore him…"

"When we stop, you could always apologize." Coach offered, checking his rearview to see Ellis following behind in the truck.

"I'm going to." Kaylee nodded.

"Yeah, give him a big hug so he can feel your tits." Zack mocked.

"Now I want to throw a beer bottle at you." Kaylee scowled.

"Have you found anything else?" Morgan asked, trying to distract the possible fight.

"Just some band aids and…wait a minute." Kaylee replied, pulling out a spiral notebook. "This looks interesting."

Morgan turned around and looked back at her. "What is it?"

"I think he was keeping a journal too." She replied, opening up to a random page. "Yeah he was. It doesn't look like he wrote in it as much as you do though."

"Can I see it while you keep looking?"

"Sure." Kaylee shrugged, handing her the notebook to look for more treasure.

Morgan flipped back to the first page and began to read. _It's strange that it takes the ending of humanity to find people who accept you. I never thought I'd get back into medicine, but I feel I've found my place here._

Her eyes scanned the page sadly, remembering the events that had taken place so long ago. _If I get the chance, it will be Ellis that takes the next Tank attack. I won't be rushing to his side. I don't trust him._

She put a hand over her mouth, realizing that Alan had been out for blood since the first night in the carnival. She tore the page out and opened up her own journal, tucking it away between the pages. What else about him didn't they know? Morgan continued to read through the small amount of pages he had written in.

* * *

><p>Nick groaned from the narrow backseat of the truck, one arm hanging over his eyes. "I feel like shit."<p>

Ellis couldn't help but laugh. "You were messed up last night. Me and Keith have had a good ol' time listening to you talk to yourself back there."

"Finally back from your trip?" Keith asked.

"Whatever that ass gave me is making me feel like shit right now." Nick muttered.

"We can probably find out what it was if he has more in his pack." Ellis replied.

"I don't want to know." Nick spoke, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. "I was talking? What was I saying?"

"Shoot, I don't even know where to start." Keith grinned.

"Well when we got you in the truck you started to cry because there was monsters after you." Ellis replied.

"But you calmed down when I explained to you that monsters can't get into trucks." Keith continued.

"And for a while you were quiet, just looking out the window at who knows what." Ellis went on. "And then you started talking. That's when it got really awkward."

Keith started to laugh and his laughter made Ellis begin to chuckle as well, the two of them sharing their own secret joke that Nick had been the cause of. Nick grimaced and let out a sigh. "Yeah? How?"

"You started talking about all the things you'd do if you could go back in time and stop yourself from cheatin' on your lady."

"My wife…" Nick muttered to himself, wondering if he could get any more embarrassed.

"Then you got quiet." Ellis replied, giving Coach a wave. "And we thought maybe you were coming back to reality."

"But when we looked back to check on you, you were sniffling with your face pressed against the window."

"And so I asked what was wrong." Keith continued. "And you said you were feeling really sad about not donating more money to charities."

"Okay, no more." Nick demanded. "I have no idea if you're pulling my leg or not, but this does NOT get around to anyone else. And it isn't funny! That son of a bitch could've killed me!"

"We won't tell anyone." Ellis chuckled. "So long as you promise not to hurt anyone else."

"Zack deserved it and you know it. In my shoes, you would have done the same thing." Nick defended.

"I doubt Zack would tease me about being attracted to my own lady." Ellis replied. "But I get cha. No more jokes at your expense."

"Thank you." Nick sighed, leaning his head back against the head rest.

"I think it was acid." Keith spoke up. "Like, mixed in with the pot. A buddy of mine did acid once and it was a lot like that."

"Where would Alan get acid?" Ellis asked.

"It doesn't matter now." Nick replied. "I hope he's dead."

The conversation stopped after that, the three of them content to ride in silence for a while. They passed a road sign and discovered they were in Utah, that much closer to the west coast. Ellis grinned as they passed the sign.

"Nick, check it out. We're in Utah! Almost there!"

"Do we even know what we're looking for on the Pacific?" Nick asked, gazing out of the window.

"Why you gotta be such a downer, man?" Keith asked. "Just enjoy the ride and hope for the best."

"I'm guessing that was also your view on high school." Nick muttered. "Or maybe just grade school."

"Slow down, Ellis, looks like they're stopping." Keith pointed.

Ellis eased onto the brakes as Coach pulled onto the shoulder. Since Keith's window was already down, Ellis pulled up beside Coach to let his friend do the talking. But before they could ask about the hold up, the passenger door of the minivan flew open and Morgan jumped out onto the dry grass. Kaylee's door opened as well, but both girls were on the other side away from the road.

Coach unrolled his window and leaned out. "Everything should be alright. Morgan was feeling car sick is all."

Ellis frowned, "Uh Coach, the last time we stopped for that, we lost Ro."

"I know, I know. But Morgan is immune. Just give us a second to collect."

Ellis nodded, wondering if he should go around and check on her. Not wanting to embarrass her, he decided to stay put.

Kaylee rubbed Morgan's back with one hand as she used the other to hold her friend's hair back while she threw up behind a rock. "You okay?"

Morgan wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Yeah, I think it passed. Whew…I actually feel a little better."

"That's good." Kaylee smiled. "It was probably something you ate. I don't think that canned meat was still good…"

"Everyone else seems fine." She replied, standing up and stretching her legs.

"Maybe Alan laced his journal with something so nobody could read it!"

"I don't think he's that crazy." Morgan chuckled. "Come on; let's get back on the road."

The girls climbed back inside the van and once they were buckled in, Coach pulled back onto the road. Ellis pulled out right behind them, and they were back on schedule. For a few minutes nobody said anything.

"Hey, Ellis." Nick spoke up, leaning over the small middle seat between the two cowboys. "I have a bit of a personal question."

"That's new. What is it?" Ellis asked.

"Have you and…'your lady' been intimate?"

Ellis' cheeks reddened. "Nick, you know that so why're you asking?"

"How long ago would you say?"

"You're right, that is a personal question."

"Just humor me." Nick sighed.

"A couple weeks I guess. Why?"

"Nothing." Nick replied, sitting back. "Never mind. Forget I asked."

"Already did." Ellis replied, feeling like the space in the cabin of the truck just got more crowded.

* * *

><p>Remigio Springs, Utah was once a family friendly community. While there weren't any actual springs, there was a water park that got a hefty amount of business every summer. The city itself wasn't large, but the people that had once lived there were never short for something to do. The wide open space left lots of room for nature trails and bike paths, and when winter came around, the two story shopping mall became even more crowded. A large Christmas tree was placed in the food court every year, but the scare of disease on the East coast had shut the place down before even the first half of the Christmas stock could be wheeled in.<p>

Now it was December, a time of year when the shops were crawling with happy holiday shoppers. Due to the infection, it was now crawling with something else. The rats that hadn't been killed by the disease chose to stay away from the building, even when their little noses told them there was food inside. Animals had always been better at feeling evil, and the case certainly hadn't changed here.

Coach killed the engine just outside Kappel's and waited for Ellis to park beside them. When the group was together, they all formed a circle between the two vehicles.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking." Coach said. "These zombies have been mutating. We been lucky now, and haven't seen any in a few days besides the little ones. Frankly, we're on new ground and for all we know, the stuff that's growing out here is a lot more dangerous. Make sure your guns are loaded and stay alert. Check every inch of the surrounding area, even the ceilings. Lord help us if they start crawling on the ceilings."

"Another mall?" Nick scoffed. "I hate malls. This is where the things flock to."

"It's also the easiest way to get everything we need in one trip. Depending on what we find inside, it might even be our safe house. Does everyone understand?" Coach asked.

"Yeah man, I got ya." Keith nodded, holding his shotgun over his shoulder. "Me and Ellis are in charge of anything automotive. We'll go on over to the tire center."

"Good." Coach smiled. "Zack, you come with me to the food court to salvage anything canned or preserved. Nick, go with the girls and watch their backs. We have three walkie talkies but we will only use them when needed. Who knows when we'll find more batteries."

Coach handed one to Ellis and Nick, keeping the third for himself and Zack.

"If we can find the security room, that might be the best safe house." Kaylee offered. "We can look for that first and then find other supplies."

"Assuming we don't open the door to the horde." Nick replied, looking off vacantly at the department store.

Morgan loaded her shotgun and took a deep breath. "It feels like black Friday."

Ellis walked over to her. "You watch yerself in there, okay? I love you and wish you'd just come with us instead."

Morgan touched his neck and kissed his cheek softly. "You boys just hurry up with your trucks and come find us."

The groups went their separate ways, though Coach and Zack stayed with the other three until they got inside. Kappel's was mostly untouched, save the racks that had been knocked over. They walked through slowly, sweeping the area with the barrels of their guns.

"Remember," Coach whispered harshly. "Things could be different out here. There could be shit we never even seen."

Kaylee nodded in understanding, looking up at the ceilings for anything out of the ordinary.

_Splitting up was necessary but that didn't mean I had to like it. I felt like every moment away from the others was a death wish and my inner fears must have been apparent because both Kaylee and Nick looked at me with concern. I remember holding my shotgun tight and pushing in front of them to avoid their glances. We stayed in the center walkway between the various stores, apprehensive about going inside. Coach was right; absolutely anything could be waiting in the darkness._

"We have to go in one sometime." Kaylee spoke, breaking the nervous silence.

"So pick one." Nick replied.

Kaylee looked around at the surrounding stores, eyes scanning the names and window displays. "Well, what do we need most?"

"Underwear." Morgan spoke. "Really anything that doesn't smell like road dust and sweat."

"There's a Ladyshoes over there." Kaylee pointed. "And a Veronica's Secret up ahead."

"Shoes, good thinking." Morgan nodded, leading the way to the shoe outlet.

Nick smashed the glass door with the end of his rifle and undid the lock. The three of them walked inside the darkened store, flashlights quickly moving against the walls. A sound the girls had never heard before crept into their ears from the back of the store, like that of a Boomer but not quite right.

"What is that?" Kaylee whispered.

Nick stepped forward, aiming his rifle at a figure in back. "Sounds like a Spitter…where is she…"

"Heeeck!"

A ball of bright green phlegm sailed down the aisle and splattered against Nick's chest. He let out a yell and stumbled back, smacking at his chest and recoiling as the substance burned his fingers. "Get this shit off me!"

Kaylee saw the sagging creature try to retreat to the next aisle. She furrowed her brows and grabbed a nearby high-heeled shoe from a display stand. She held the shoe behind her head and threw it as hard as she could over the aisle. It hit the Spitter on top of her head, making the dumb creature run back out into the open. Kaylee looked through her scope and squeezed the trigger, plastering the wall with what remained of the monster's face.

Morgan was trying to help Nick, tearing open his shirt even as the acid was eating it away. "Hold still, damnit!"

"It fucking burns!" He barked back, wincing as she tried wiping the slime off his skin with a pair of socks.

"Are you okay?" Kaylee asked him, turning back after the Spitter was dead.

"Ouch! Watch it!"

"I have to get it off, Nick." Morgan spoke firmly, wiping away the last of it before it could burn him too bad.

Kaylee slowly smiled, covering her mouth with her hand as a fit of giggles welled up inside her. The sound she was making against her palm was enough to get Nick's attention and he looked up bitterly.

"I'm sorry." Kaylee chuckled. "It's just…I mean come on! Wiping slimy stuff off your chest with a sock! That's so gross!"

Morgan couldn't help but laugh as she tossed the ruined socks aside. "Kaylee, get your head out of the gutter."

Before Nick could retort, the walkie talkie on his belt crackled. "Uh, this is Ellis and we got a problem."

It crackled again, this time with Coach's voice. "Speak up, boy. What's the problem?"

"There's a Tank in the garage."

"Get out of there. Come back to the food court and we'll meet ya."

"I can't do that, Coach. Keith is in there and he is trapped with it. I don't know what to do, man. I'm freaking out!"

Morgan grabbed the device from Nick's belt and held down on the button. "Ellis, did he alert the Tank?"

"Naw, I don't think so. But the door jammed after he went in and he can't open it without making noise."

Nick took the receiver from her. "Ellis, that place must have more than one door."

"I'll look."

Coach spoke again, "Nick, have you found anything?"

"We found a spitting bitch." He replied bitterly. "And some shoes."

"Remember, find a safe house. Zack! Don't touch that!"

Nick stuck the walkie talkie back on his belt. "Grab some shoes and let's go."

"Nick, I'm worried about Ellis and Keith." Morgan spoke. "We should try and help them."

The device buzzed again before he could reply, and again Ellis spoke. "Uhh guys? I found a way in but I might need back up."

Coach replied quickly. "We're on our way, Ellis. Nick, keep your team where you are unless I say so."

Kaylee walked into the aisle filled with various hiking shoes and began pulling boxes of boots down from the shelf. "I found a seven. Morgan, there's a six here for you. Nick?"

"10 and a half." He replied, looking around the store nervously.

* * *

><p>"Keith, just stay calm. I got back up coming." Ellis spoke quietly through the hole in the wall.<p>

"I don't need no backup." Keith scoffed, looking around the garage. The Tank was looming in the far end of the room, entire body expanding and contracting with each breath. There were several gas cans near it, as well as the lift for working on cars. Keith smiled, the scars on his lips pulling back tightly.

Ellis looked at him nervously. "Whatever you're thinkin' of doin', don't." He whispered from the other side of the wall.

Keith looked back at the Tank, seeing the open door behind it that led outside. "Ellis, I think by now I know a thing or two about explosives."

"You don't know shit about chemistry!"

"Gasoline burns right? That's all ya need to know!"

Coach and Zack came running up behind Ellis, guns aimed forward as they approached. When he was beside Ellis, Coach whispered harshly: "What's going on, boy?"

"Keith wants to blow the place all to hell. Talk him out of it!"

Coach stepped over to the melon-sized hole in the wall and looked through. "Ellis, I don't even see him."

"He's standing right there." Ellis replied, scooting in to look through the hole. "Wait a minute…Keith?"

"There he is." Coach gasped.

Both men averted their gaze above the Tank where Keith was being held by the thick tongue of a smoker. He was kicking his legs and trying not to yell out as he looked down at the drop to the hard cement. If the Smoker dropped him, he'd land right on top of the Tank. Keith looked up at the swollen, boil-covered flesh of the monster's face and couldn't help but think that the Smoker intended to do just that.

Zack pushed the two of them aside. "What's going on? Let me see!"

"Coach, what are we going to do?" Ellis asked.

"We have to kill that Tank. But we need to draw him out from under Keith."

Zack stepped away from the wall and looked around the parking lot. There were plenty of vehicles, but nothing fit his plan. Then his eyes caught the red metallic paint of a restored Harley. He ran over to it while Coach and Ellis spoke.

"What do you expect me to do?" Ellis asked, "Run around waving my arms? I've got a whole life ahead of me and getting smashed to a pulp ain't part of that plan!"

Coach's response was drowned out by the roar of an engine as Zack came riding past. A cloud of dust kicked up as he rounded the corner sharply and paused at the open back door. The Tank looked up and saw it, it's ears so swollen into his own neck that he could no longer hear. The flash of red was all it took to send the hulking mass of muscle into a rage. It smashed through the narrow doorway, sending chucks of concrete and insulation spewing out as it chased after Zack.

Coach ran inside with Ellis close behind him and looked up at Keith, still dangling helplessly.

"Look out, Coach!" Ellis barked, running to the switch on the wall. "I'm raising the lift."

"There's no power!"

Ellis tried the switch anyway but found that Coach was right.

"Would ya'll get me down if you got a free minute?" Keith yelled.

"Right! Sorry! I got ya, buddy!" Ellis called, whipping out his pistol. "Catch him, Coach!"

"Wait, what?" Coach asked just as Ellis fired a few rounds up at the Smoker.

The tongue was severed and Keith came crashing down, knocking Coach to his ass. The men coughed loudly and Ellis did his best to pull them up fast. "Come on, guys. Zack can't hold that thing off forever. Move move!"

They ran out of the back door and around the side into the parking lot, looking around for Zack. The roaring engine of the Harley grew louder, as well as the thundering sound of the Tank's footsteps. Zack drove straight for the large metal rolling door of the garage, hooking to the left with enough precision to put a street racer to shame. The Tank lacked the motor skills to mimic such a move and went crashing through the door, leaving a large opening. The monster came roaring out a moment later, catching up to Zack quickly as its anger grew. Zack revved the engine and drove toward the hole the Tank made moments ago, aiming at the point of light that marked the back door. He grabbed the pipe bomb from his belt and activated it, tossing it behind him as he drove through the doorway. The Tank was in the center of the room when the bomb went off. All the nearby gas cans were caught in the blast and sprayed the room with gasoline and fire. Trapped in the inferno, the Tank burned alive.

"That…was… AWESOME!" Ellis laughed, running over to Zack and slapping his hand. "That was better than any movie I ever saw, even the 3D ones! You are almost as incredible as Jimmy Gibbs Jr. and that is an honor."

Zack chuckled lightly, letting out a cough as he limped toward the others. "Just don't tell Kaylee about that."

"What?" Ellis gasped, "Why?"

"I promised her I'd never ride a motorcycle again."

* * *

><p>As soon as the walkie-talkie crackled, Kaylee picked it up with both hands and listened.<p>

"Nick, did you find a safe house?" Coach asked.

"We did!" Kaylee replied. "Is everything okay? We heard an explosion."

"Just taking care of a tank problem." Coach chuckled. "Where are you?"

"Second floor. There is a hallway marked 'authorized personnel only. Go down that and to your left is a security room. We are in there."

"Did you find any supplies?"

Kaylee looked around at what they picked up on their way. "We each have hiking boots. We found some fleece blankets in Sears and some knives. Uhh…some throw pillows and hair brushes. Morgan took some scissors from Disco Pants and Haircuts. Morgan, what else did we get?"

There was a pause.

"Okay." Kaylee continued. "Some socks, underwear, and batteries for the flash lights. We didn't get anything else yet."

"Just stay put." Coach spoke. "We'll all group back up. Get the medical pack ready. We got some boys that need a little fixin' up."

"It's already open." Kaylee said cheerfully. "Nick is suffering from an involuntary chest wax!"

* * *

><p>Morgan carefully applied some burn cream to Nick's blistered skin with a swab of gauze as he sat in one of the few rolling chairs in the room. He insisted it looked worse than it felt, but the ointment she applied gave an overwhelming sense of relief.<p>

The door pushed open as Coach led the way inside. When Zack came in with a limp, Kaylee stood up and pulled him aside into a chair.

"Zack, are you okay?"

"Of course, Baby doll." He smiled. "Just killed a Tank, that's all."

"What happened to your foot?" She frowned.

"I think I just twisted my ankle. I'll be okay."

She kissed his forehead. "I don't even want to know what you crazy boys did out there."

"I do." Morgan replied, picking up her journal. "Every detail you can remember."

"Em, can't you take a break from that thing for a minute?" Ellis smiled, walking over to her.

She smiled, pen pressed to the fresh page. "I wasn't there, so I can't just remember it later."

"I'll tell you about it." Coach chuckled, sitting down on the empty desk. Morgan gently pulled away from Ellis and sat down cross-legged in front of Coach as he began to go over what happened at the garage.

Ellis sighed and sat down next to Nick, swiping his brow with his forearm. "Sometimes I have no idea what is going on in her head."

"She's a story-teller." Nick replied, picking up some bandages to stick on over his spit burns.

"Ain't nobody going to read it though."

"You never know. If we get out of this mess, someone might pay her a good chunk of money for that log."

"You look weird without the chest hair." Ellis smirked, holing in a laugh.

"At least I can grow it."

Keith whistled, looking around at all the darkened monitors. "This room is like something from a spy movie. If we could turn on the cameras, we'd know which shops were safe."

"That takes out the fun of hunting." Zack replied.

"I like the way you think." Keith pointed. "When we going back out there? I want some huntin' boots, a new hat, a good knife, maybe a cross bow! Does this place have a huntin' store?"

"A cross bow?" Ellis laughed.

"Hell yeah, man. Just like when we went deer hunting."

"I had to drive you to the hospital when you shot an arrow through your foot."

"Good times." Keith smiled.


	32. Stop Shooting Me

The toy store is a very special place. A mother cannot take a small child into a mall without stopping for fear of the threat of a tantrum or sad eyes from their little darling. Children loved toys as much as adults loved money, and these facts were not something that went away simply because the world was crashing down in chunks.

The dimly lit toy emporium was filled with the Children. They wandered around slowly, pulling various presents off the shelves they could reach. However, their play lacked imagination. The toys would be dropped to the floor, sometimes kicked, but usually abandoned as soon as they were taken from their stands.

Kaylee walked beside Zack, the two of them on their own to find supplies to make it through the night. When they approached the window, Kaylee stopped and looked inside. Her pale grey eyes widened as she looked at them, unable to count just how many were inside. Zack looked over her shoulder, touching her waist gently.

"Let's get out of here." She moaned.

"Hang on." He urged. "I want to know what they do."

"Do? What are you talking about?"

"We've been puked on, thrown, spit at, strangled, and slashed. I want to know what else to expect." He explained quietly.

"We've seen them before and they don't do anything but stare." Kaylee shivered.

"Because they were behind glass and probably aren't strong enough to break it."

"You aren't going in there."

"I know that." He scoffed. "I'm not stupid. Just give me a second to observe."

"No." She pleaded. "You have no reason."

"It's field research for Morgan."

"You're just using that as an excuse."

"Yep." He smiled, still watching.

Kaylee folded her arms and looked away from the toy store at the other surrounding outlets. Zack checked the safety on his pistol before looking back up at the children. A little girl of about three with blonde pigtails and a pink dress slowly walked out of the store dragging a brown teddy bear by the foot. She slowly looked over at Zack, pale eyes round and lifeless. Zack felt a pit form in his stomach when she looked at him, having never been more afraid of something in his life. Kaylee heard footsteps and turned back, quickly covering her mouth before she could scream.

Zack pointed his gun at the little girl with both hands, not wanting to be caught off guard if she did anything. To his surprise, she turned and began walking the opposite direction. The outstretched arms of the bear as she pulled it away by the leg sent chills down his spine. He lowered his gun, looking over at Kaylee.

"Where is she going?" She whispered.

"How am I supposed to-"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaah!" The little girl screamed.

"Shit." Zack muttered.

Kaylee covered her ears. "What the-"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaah!" The child continued.

From each surrounding store, infected began to pour out like water from a freshly burst dam. They instinctively ran in the opposite direction from which the child was facing. Kaylee screamed out loud this time.

Zack grabbed her by the hand and the two of them began to run from the oncoming swarm. He turned and began to fire behind him, but it was no use and only slowed him down. They reached the escalator and slid down the slick hand rail, gaining ground between the monsters that fumbled down the stairs. Zack shoved her into a maintenance closet and closed the door behind them, pressing her as far back against the wall as they could go. He then took the walkie-talkie from his belt and pressed down on the button.

"We need help! Horde main floor! Hurry, damn it!"

* * *

><p>Morgan lay on her back on the floor of the security room. She had one foot out of its boot as she rubbed on her sore ankle across her deep scar. The foot had gone numb, and she feared it was the cold straining the already weak nerves.<p>

"You okay?" Ellis asked, sitting down beside her.

"Yeah, I'm alright." She smiled, slipping her foot back into her new hiking boot.

"You were pukin' earlier. Do you have a stomach bug?"

"I might." She sighed.

Ellis helped her up into a sitting position and he chewed his lip nervously for a moment before speaking again. "You're really feeling okay?"

"Ellis, why do you keep asking? I told you, I'm fine." She replied, pulling her hair over her shoulder.

"I believe you." He smiled, taking her hands. "But if you ever think something is wrong, I want you to tell me. You got a bad habit of hiding stuff."

She nodded slowly and took a deep breath. Looking into his soft green eyes, she realized he was right. Maybe it was time she voiced some of her concerns to him. "Ellis, I think I-"

"We need help! Horde main floor! Hurry, damn it!"

"That was Zack!" Coach barked, getting up from his chair. "C'mon, people!"

Morgan grabbed her shot gun and put on her cowboy hat before running after Coach. Ellis watched in confusion for a moment before picking up his pistols and following.

"Nick, where are you two?" Coach yelled into his own radio, running toward the escalators.

"We're in the Bait and Shoot on the other side of the damn mall!" Nick's voice hissed through the small speaker.

"We'll try and handle it. You and Keith keep gathering. Over."

Morgan stopped and looked down over the edge of the railing. The horde was gathering near what appeared to be a janitor closet next to the Taco Bucket stall. "There's so many of them!"

"We need to get them away from that door!" Coach ordered.

Ellis pulled out a jar of Boomer bile. "Hey, what about this stuff we got from Alan's bag? He was always shootin' it."

"Try throwing it over there!" Morgan pointed at the open space in the center of the food court.

Ellis nodded and chucked the jar, watching it sail through the air and shatter against the tile. The green fumes rose up like smoke and the nearby infected all moved to swarm it.

"Zack, get yourselves out of there!" Coach yelled through the walkie talkie.

The door flew open, Zack standing tall holding Kaylee behind him. He saw the infected rushing the puke stain and pulled Kaylee by the arm back to the escalator. Morgan was trying to count them all, but there were simply too many. She pulled the Molotov off her belt and handed it to Ellis.

"Throw this too. Same place." She spoke.

He lit the rag sticking out and did as she suggested. The infected ignited; and those who were not in the blaze ran right into it anyway, drawn by the aroma of the bile. Coach couldn't help but laugh at the way the dumb creatures ran to their own demise. Zack and Kaylee were breathing hard when they made it to the top of the frozen staircase and happily took the outstretched hands they were offered.

Embers popped and crackled as the smoky flesh sizzled, bodies dropping to the floor in horrible mounds. Lips were burned away, exposing teeth on black gums. In the back of the dim glassy eyes was a look of pain.

"Oh…Morgan." Zack panted, nudging her with one hand before letting his hands rest on his knees. "The Children…they alert hoards by crying."

"Is that all?" She asked.

"They're also creepy as fuck."

"I'll make note of it." She chuckled, helping him stand up as they all walked back into the safe house.

* * *

><p>"It sounds like they have things under control." Nick commented as he put his radio away and returned to sorting through a pile of camping gear.<p>

"I wasn't worried." Keith replied, looking through the scope of a rifle. "Those fellers know how to handle themselves."

"Do you think we'll need bug spray?"

"We could just cover ourselves in mud. That works the same."

"Yeah, I'm taking bug spray." Nick winced.

Keith lowered his gun and walked over to a nearby display. His eyes glimmered at the sleek metallic finish on the brand new Bear Growls' brand cross bow. It was guaranteed to be shatter proof, water proof, and fire proof. (If only it had also been made idiot proof.) Keith took the display model down from the rack and admired it, trying to imagine the power it possessed.

"Da da da da da da da da…"

"What are you doing?" Nick asked, looking over his shoulder.

"Da da da DAAAA!" Keith laughed, holding the bow up over his head.

"What the hell is that?"

"It's a Bear Growls official cross bow!" Keith chimed, jumping down from the display.

"Who?"

"Bear Growls! You ain't never heard of him? He goes into the untamed wild and survives with his bare hands and instincts!"

"So what, he writes books or something?" Nick asked.

"Naw, man. He's got a camera crew."

"Give me that thing." Nick spoke, holding his hand out. "I barely trust you with a sling shot."

"No way, man. Finders keepers."

"Fine, just be careful for once in your damn life." Nick mumbled, stuffing what he'd gathered into a canvas back pack.

"Careful is my middle name." Keith spoke, taking a box of arrows with him. He loaded the cross bow first just in case. "Well actually it's Wilbur…as long as we're being honest."

Nick rolled his eyes and slung the bag over his shoulder. "Let's just get back before any more zombies show up."

"Right behind ya, Buddy."

Nick pushed open the double doors they walked in through and made his way back toward the food court where the escalator was. The fire was still crackling when they walked by, the smell of hair and burning flesh overwhelming. They paused at the bottom of the stairs, looking up at the small crowd of infected waiting at the top.

"Wait." Keith whispered harshly as Nick was pointing his pistol. "I want to try this out."

"Fine."

Keith aimed the crossbow and fired, piercing the zombie through his right eye. It popped and spurted blood as the poor creature stumbled back, brain dying quickly.

"Not bad." Nick smirked. "It's pretty quiet too."

"That's the best part. It won't alert other shit nearby." Keith grinned, raising his weapon again.

Nick watched, waiting to see a second arrow take down another infected. A moment passed with nothing fired.

"Hang on, I think it's jammed." Keith whispered.

"I'll get it myself." Nick sighed, stepping up onto the escalator and aiming his pistol.

"Oh here's the problem." Keith uttered before squeezing the trigger by mistake and launching an arrow through the back of Nick's thigh.

Nick screamed and fell to one knee, clutching the shaft of the arrow poking out the other side. "OH COME ON!"

"Shit shit shit!" Keith gasped, dropping the crossbow and running up to Nick.

"Kill the damn zombies you worthless piece of shit!" Nick yelled, shoving Keith away when he got close.

There were two other infected loitering by the top of the escalator, and it only took a few pistol shots to be rid of them. Keith bounded back down the stairs and pulled Nick up, letting the man put most of his weight on him.

Nick tried to put his foot down but even bending his leg sent a blast of hot fire up his spine and behind his eyes. He gritted his teeth so hard that he was worried they'd snap off. It took all his control not to shove Keith down when they reached the top.

Keith helped Nick through the door and once the others saw his bleeding leg and the arrow sticking from it, they were on their feet trying to help.

"Give him some air." Coach spoke, clearing a spot on the floor. "Help him down. What the hell happened?"

"That bastard shot me." Nick growled, wincing as he sat.

"It was an accident, I swear." Keith frowned, looking very upset.

"I believe you." Coach assured. "Just calm down. Morgan, bring over that med pack."

Morgan grabbed the large red bag from the nearby desk and brought it over to Coach.

"I hope this makes you feel better." Coach spoke, opening up the bag beside Nick. "Ain't sure what I'm doing."

"How do you feel?" Morgan asked.

"Fan-freakin'-tastic. That's how I am." Nick sneered.

Most of the arrow was sticking out of the front of his leg. Coach took out the small saw Alan had packed away and began sawing off the feathered end on the back of the arrow. With Nick lying on his side, Nick couldn't tell what he was doing.

"Morgan, distract him for me." Coach grunted.

"Distract me?" Nick asked, trying to turn his neck back. "What are you doing?"

"Quit squirmin'! I'm trying to heal you!" Coach snapped.

"Woah woah woah! No! No pulling out arrows! Just leave it in. I'll wear it like a purple heart!"

"Nick!" Morgan yelled.

"You can't distract me! Stop trying to grab the arrow! I like it there! LEAVE IT IN!"

"Hold still or I might rip something." Coach demanded.

"I'll rip you a new one!" Nick yelled back.

"Fine." Coach said, raising his hands. "Happy? I won't take it out."

"Thank you." Nick sighed, relaxing.

Morgan gripped the arrow shaft in one quick motion and yanked it straight up and out. "There."

Nick opened his eyes, looking up at the bloody arrow in her hand. He looked down at the spreading blood stain on his white pants. "You bitch!"

"Thank you." Coach smiled at her. "C'mon, Nick. Let's go over to this wall so I can try and clean that out."

"I'm going to have to take my pants off aren't I?"

"Afraid so."

* * *

><p>The door was locked for the night, a desk shoved in front of it as an extra precaution. Nick's leg looked like it would heal. The arrow had missed the bone, a crucial strike of luck. All the sleeping bags and blankets had provided some of the best sleeping arrangements they'd had in a while and the shelter from the cold wasn't bad either.<p>

Ellis was still wide awake even though he was quite comfortable lying on his side with his arm draped over Morgan's waist. He looked over at her in the darkness, barely able to make out her features as she slept soundly. When he felt himself getting antsy, he got up from under the blanket and walked across the room to get a drink of water. Nick was awake as well, sitting in one of the rolling chairs and reading Morgan's journal.

"What are you doing? That's her diary." Ellis asked.

"It isn't a diary." Nick replied, turning a page. "It's everything that's been happening to us."

"Why are you reading it?"

"I'm trying to find out if I'm right."

"About what?" Ellis asked, looking over his shoulder.

"I'll tell you if I find it."

"She was trying to tell me something earlier but she didn't get to finish because of that zombie attack." The young mechanic explained, leaning against the wall. "How's your leg?"

"I've felt worse after a night of drinking." Nick shrugged.

"I hope whatever it is we're looking for finds us soon. Like a helicopter or a place where CEDA hasn't pulled out."

"A rescue would be nice. If this keeps up, there won't be any of us left to rescue at all."

"Nick, don't talk like that." Ellis frowned. "We're tough. We can make it."

"Mmm." Nick nodded, distracted by what he was reading.

Ellis gave up trying to talk to him. He found a canteen and took a drink of water before crawling back in beside Morgan. His body felt very sore, and he was only noticing now. These past months were the hardest he'd ever had to push himself and he couldn't imagine either of the girls with them having come anywhere close to this kind of exertion before. He held Morgan a little closer and said a prayer in his head for them.

_I've been doing a lot of thinking about our futures. If men carry the immunity gene and pass it to their children, that means that women who are immune are pretty much guaranteed to pass it along as long as the man has it too, right? That means that any women who survive this can have children knowing that those children will never have to suffer as so many others have. I'm really starting to dig deep to find the positives now, aren't I? I don't even know what made me think of this. I certainly don't want children and don't see myself having them any time soon. But I know Kaylee would be a good mother and not only would her kids be immune, but they would be adorable as well._

_If Kaylee and I are all that's left of the female population in America, I think I might just hang myself._

_Is that selfish? I don't think so._

_Nick took a pretty nasty arrow to the leg thanks to Keith. I swear, I love Ellis to death but having two of them around is such a head ache. I hate to say it, but I wish Alan were here. His medical insight would have been a lot of help. I don't know what I'd do if Nick's leg got infected. I won't even allow myself to think of it. There are only seven of us left and losing anyone else would drive me to insanity._

Nick turned the page but found that was as far as she'd written for the day. Though, he assumed his question had been answered. Her nausea must have just come from the sorry condition they were all in.

He closed the journal and set it down on the desk where he found it. He limped across the room and collapsed into his own makeshift bed. Even though he was beyond the point of exhaustion, Nick found it hard to fall asleep.

Keith walked quietly across the room, sliding back the desk in front of the door as silently as possible. He looked over his shoulder to make sure he hadn't woken anyone up. Seeing the room just as still as it had been before he got up, he turned the knob of the safe house door and disappeared down the hall. The men's restroom was just around the corner and he was not a man who was easily frightened. Pistol in hand, he walked alone into the darkened tiled room to relieve himself.

He stopped in front of the urinal and unzipped his fly, letting out a sigh of satisfaction. He was not as alone as he thought. A woman slowly stood up in the far corner, her inhumanly long fingers unclenching as she grew angry at the sight of the intruder.

Keith zipped back up and turned to walk away. He never saw her coming.


	33. The Night Before the Nightmare

The rising of the sun the following morning did not bring good news with it. Keith was missing and the desk in front of the safe house door had been pushed aside. It did not take long to find him, or rather, what was left of him. Ellis had followed the trail of blood despite the gentle urging from Morgan not to. His eyes were wide and wet as he scanned the crimson bathroom with his flash light. The floor and walls were smeared with what looked like black paint. Hand prints trailed down the bloody tile, hinting that Keith had tried to escape. When Ellis reached the back of the bathroom, he found chunks of flesh and bone leading like a trail of breadcrumbs to the last stall. His lip quivered as he pushed the door open with one hand.

Keith's headless body was propped in front of the dirty toilet, large sections of him missing. One arm dangled on a thin cord of nerves. (The other was later found on the escalator.) Ellis fell to his knees, unable to control his tears at the sight. He grabbed his friend by the shoulders, gently shaking him. "Keith! No, man. Don't do this to me."

Coach grabbed Ellis, pulling on his fingers until he let go. "Come on, boy. Let him go."

"He's my best friend!" Ellis cried, hands shaking as tears blurred his vision. "Why'd he go? I could've helped him!"

"It was a foolish accident." Coach spoke kindly, guiding Ellis back into the light.

"He can't be gone." Ellis continued to cry, collapsing again beside the door of the bathroom.

Morgan dropped down beside him and pulled him close, kissing his head and rubbing his shoulder. "It'll be okay, El. Nobody else will die. I promise."

"You can't promise that. Everyone is dying! We can't fight this!"

"Yes we can." Morgan urged. "We just have to stick together."

Coach looked around. "Whatever did that might still be close. We need to stay alert."

"We need to get out of here." Morgan spoke, looking up at Coach as she cradled Ellis.

"You're right." Coach sighed. "Let's haul everything back down to the truck."

Kaylee began shoving their supplies into cardboard boxes as soon as Coach gave them the order to pull out. She saw Morgan's journal sitting on the table and stuffed it into her messenger bag. There were things they could afford to lose, but she knew there were certain things Morgan would always go back for: Her friends, her book, and her hat.

Zack rolled up the last of the sleeping bags and hefted it over his shoulder. "You ready, Baby doll?"

"Yeah." She replied, pushing her shaggy bangs out of her face. "Make sure you have a free arm to shoot with."

Zack pulled his pistol out of his belt. "I'm good."

Nick stood shakily to his feet and pulled on a back pack. "About time we left this damn mall."

"You sure you should be carrying that?" Zack asked.

"I have a leg wound not a wheelchair."

"Have it your way." Zack sighed, leading the way out.

When the rest of the survivors began the trip through the lower half of the mall, they spotted the infected that killed Keith. The Witch was wandering toward them, a severed head hanging in the talons of her left hand. The face was frozen in a horrified scream that would haunt Morgan's nightmares for many years. Ellis saw the vile bitch and took the baseball bat from his back where it was strapped beside his rifle.

"Ellis, no!" Morgan gasped as he broke away from them and ran at the Witch. She tried to run after him, but Nick's firm grip on her arm and shoulder was enough to keep her where she was.

Ellis was an unstoppable force of anger. He gripped the wooden bat tightly and thought of nothing but the sound it would make as he brought it across her face. She saw him coming and dropped the head, spreading her long fingers out in a warning stance. Her jaws opened as she began to scream, deep red eyes rolling in the back of her head.

He swung as if his life depended on it. The bat sent splinters flying as he brought it against the side of her head. She swiped at him, nails raking against the flesh of his stomach. He swung again, this time bringing the bat against the opposite side of her skull. She dropped to the ground and still he kept hitting, chunks of brain matter and sprays of blood sailing through the air in an arc above him. Ellis pumped him arms up and down, forcing her nose into her head before collapsing her entire skull. Her body stopped jerking after a few moments but still he kept wailing on her with the baseball bat. There were tears in his eyes and blood on his face as he mechanically wiped away the Witch from existence. By the time Coach pulled Ellis away from the corpse, it was unrecognizable as ever being human.

Both Kaylee and Morgan had been unable to watch after the initial hit, the sound of the violence enough to disturb them. When Ellis looked back at the others, he felt his stomach hit the floor. Morgan had met his eyes and then turned away from him in fear. She tugged on Nick's coat and hid her face against his chest. The baseball bat dropped from Ellis' hands, shaking too badly to hold on to it any longer.

_She's afraid of me._ He thought.

"Let's go!" Zack yelled, breaking the tension.

Kaylee picked up her box and kicked open the double doors. The parking lot was alive with infected. Their vehicles were parked against the wall, plenty of space between them and the nearest infected. They just had to stay quiet. Zack climbed into the back of the truck and began taking the boxes that the others handed him. When he set down the last rolled sleeping bag, he saw the infected were wandering closer. Their vision might be bad, but it wouldn't be hard to see all of them against the white wall. Coach ran around the side and climbed into the driver's seat. Nick got behind the wheel of the van. Ellis opened the passenger door of the truck and waited for Morgan to get in. She was facing the opposite direction, brim of her hat hiding her face. He reached out and touched her shoulder, causing her to scream and pull away. Her eyes were wide with fear when they met his and as she began to back away, Ellis found himself more afraid than he had ever been.

"Morgan, please. I would never do that to you!"

"Just don't touch me right now, Ellis." She spoke firmly, holding up her hands.

"Morgan-"

"Stay away!" She yelled. The infected behind her were running now, drawn by the sound of her voice.

"Get in the cars, you idiots!" Zack yelled, pulling out his pistols and firing from the bed of the truck. Kaylee used the tire as a foothold as she jumped into the bed of the truck beside him, landing on two of the rolled sleeping bags. Morgan got into the passenger side of the van, leaving Ellis to get into the truck. As they escaped the mall parking lot with a stream of infected lumbering after, Kaylee couldn't help but think that their days together were coming to an end.

* * *

><p>"Are you okay?" Nick asked, glancing at his passenger briefly.<p>

"What the fuck happened to us?" Morgan replied, head resting against the window. "We were normal people once. We went through each day waiting for something exciting to happen and now we're all instinct-driven homicidal nut jobs! Kaylee lost ten pounds, I don't sleep, three of us are fucking dead, and to top it all off, I just had to watch the sweet man I fell in love with beat a severely sick woman to death with an old baseball bat! Did you see the look on his face, Nick? Did you see that? There was nothing there. That's going to be all of us in a matter of days.

We will kill without emotion, never thinking about the life of the infected person before this fucking apocalypse. I don't want to become that. I don't want to be so afraid that I stop feeling everything else. What do we have left keeping us from becoming them? We might not have the sickness in our veins but we act the same. We see something we don't like and we choke the life out of it."

Nick swallowed the lump that formed in his throat at her words. "Morgan, he was upset. I'm sure in time he'll be back to the same ol' stock car loving hill billy we all love."

"Alan was nice once. But his fear made him snap. Rochelle was unlucky and Keith was careless. Every death makes the rest of us more fearful. And why wouldn't it? I looked death in the eye three times in the past two months but three times it passed me by. Why didn't it take me?"

"Maybe you have a higher purpose?"

"That's bull. Do you even believe that?"

"Not really." He chuckled, reading a road sign as they passed. "But we've made it this far. Maybe there will be a big boat waiting for us. We'll float all the way to Hawaii and live out our lives in relaxation."

Morgan couldn't help but smile. "It's nice…to hear you thinking positively for a change."

"It's strange, I know." He chuckled. "But I've been thinking a lot about this time we've spent running. That drawing you did…I think about that too. You've probably forgotten all about it, but I asked you why you weren't in it when I could see the symbolism of everyone else."

"And you came to a conclusion?"

"You were the light on the wall." Nick replied nervously. "Does that even make sense? I never paid attention in English class."

"Morgan is German for 'morning'." She replied, glancing out the window at the truck.

"So I was right?"

"It is what you make of it. I just thought the connection would interest you."

_It does._ Nick thought, allowing his mind to wander as he followed the endless high way. _I don't think she will ever fall to this disaster. If the worst happens, it will be her all alone. Fuck, don't think like that._

* * *

><p>"What's wrong with me, Coach?" Ellis asked, head between his legs as he held the back of his neck with his hands. "I hardly even remember what I was doin'. I've never been like that."<p>

"You were upset and strained, boy. Don't you worry about it."

"How can I not worry about it? Morgan won't even look at me and I don't blame her. I saw what I did."

Coach sighed. "It's just…the situation. We'll be safe soon. This will all go down in history but we'll be okay."

"Keith's gone." Ellis whimpered, the tears coming back. "He survived so much shit! How could he just be gone?"

"Life just ain't fair sometimes, Ellis. You just got to stay strong."

"I've been staying strong for months! When do I get to stop runnin', stop fightin'? When will I be far enough away from all this shit?"

"If I knew, I'd tell ya." Coach frowned. He looked in his rearview at the van behind him. It looked like Morgan was yelling, but Nick's driving was straight.

"I just want to go home but I ain't got no home to go to." Ellis spoke, rubbing his eye." I just want to sit on the porch with my buddy Keith and drink a beer. I never thought I'd miss stuff like that so much but I do."

"You'll get moments like that again. This sickness can't go on forever. Eventually it will just kill its host and everyone left can clean up and start over."

"What if it spread?" Ellis sniffled. "What if it's all over the world?"

"Then cleanup will take a hell of a lot longer."

Zack slid back the window from the truck bed. "Any idea where we're going?"

"We're almost to Nevada. We should get there by night fall."

"Well Nick will be happy." Zack smirked. "We're going to Vegas."

* * *

><p><em>When I was seven years old, my mother and I had an apartment in Las Vegas. We lived there for a grand total of five months before wising up and moving out. It was a dangerous place to live and I never saw it as the exciting vacation spot everyone else did. There's only so much I remember since I was so young, but I remember getting lost and getting mugged. Well, my mother was mugged. I don't know who would rob a seven year old girl. It isn't like I would be old enough to have gambling money.<em>

_The Nevada deserts were not a place we wanted to be in our situation. When the choice was dying of heat exhaustion or zombie invasion, we made the decision to go to Vegas. Yes, we knew it was stupid. We knew we would be walking into a breeding ground for every awful type of infected imaginable. But infected were something we could kill. Last time I checked, nobody has ever fired a bullet that put out the sun. Though, I'm not sure if anyone ever tried._

_I can't imagine what the ride was like for those in the truck but my time with Nick in the van turned out to be more enjoyable than I thought. He's always been…well…pessimistic. Something about him has been changing for a while now and I credit that to the overwhelming feeling we all have of our days being numbered. He's been smiling and I find it contagious. We only drove for about thirty minutes before he pulled over and asked if I could drive. I suppose that leg is hurting him worse than he lets on. Men._

_I offered to let Kaylee and Zack get in the van with us but they insisted they were having fun. Can you imagine? Kaylee's hair was all wind-blown and both of them had pink tints to their skin. But with the wind whipping by I imagine it must have been more cool out there then in the car. I didn't urge the matter further. Ellis would not look at me and when I tried once to apologize, I felt I did not have it in me. I kept seeing his stone cold face and it made my stomach flip. We are nearing the sign that welcomes us to Las Vegas. The journal will be put away for now. I'll write more when we are safe._

_-The Recovered Journal of Morgan Ambrose. Dated December 16__th__, 2011._

* * *

><p>Morgan stepped out of the van, her boots crunching glass as she hit the pavement. She closed the door and joined the others as they paused to stare down at the once beautiful Las Vegas strip. At one time, this place would have been lit so brightly with so many different colors that it would be near impossible to know what time of day it was. Now as the sun was dipping behind the forgotten buildings, night was finally reclaiming this desert oasis.<p>

It must have been chaos. Cars littered the road, most of them smashed together. Trash cans lay on their sides with contents strewn about the gutters. There was glass everywhere from shattered windows. If you looked closely enough, you could see veils of thin white tapestry fluttering out of endlessly tall hotel bedrooms. It was as if everyone had heard the news at the exact same moment and had collided with each other when they tried to flee.

Morgan looked to her side and saw a dead body skewered on a parking meter after falling from a hotel window. The more she thought about it, she came to the conclusion that it had been no accident. He had heard the news, and jumped.

"It's getting dark and we need a plan." Zack spoke, expecting an infected to jump from an alley yelling 'booga booga!' at any moment.

"We could try that hotel." Coach pointed. "If we get to the roof, it would be the best place for a rescue if there is anyone out there to get us."

Kaylee looked through the scope of her rifle. "That's the Mirage by what the sign says. Fancy place."

"I love the Mirage!" Nick laughed. "It's got everything you need. VIP service to the rooms, a casino, and a pool club called Bare. You can guess why."

"Why?" Kaylee asked, lowering her gun.

"Topless sun bathers." He smirked.

"I doubt we'll get any of that during our stay." Coach chuckled. "But if an infected runs at me with a sample tray, I'm not shooting him."

"If I see a topless infected running at me, not only will I shoot it, but I will also burn it and then pour bleach in my eyes." Zack spoke.

"That's seems a little dramatic." Nick laughed.

"Topless Spitter." He spoke firmly.

"Pass the bleach." Nick said with a suddenly straight face.

The roads were too full of debris to drive any closer, but the streets showed no signs of infected. They walked quickly and carried what they could to the hotel, stepping through the broken glass of the front doors to get inside.

"This place has eighteen different places to eat." Nick spoke as they looked around the enormous space. "Not to mention the lounges, pools, gyms, spas."

"We get it." Ellis spoke. "It's awesome. Shut up so we can listen for things that can kill us."

The others fell silent as they pressed on, Nick's excitement quickly extinguished. The front desk had beautiful stone accents but the most impressive part was the sweeping aquarium that lined the back wall. Of course, in the months since the outbreak the aquarium had been left to rot. The water was greener with algae and nearly all of the fish were floating at the top. In better times, it must have been a prettier sight.

They wasted no time wandering through any of the places Nick mentioned and instead began the journey up the endless flights of stairs. Kaylee had been smart enough to swipe a few room keys beforehand from behind the desk.

"Only the best rooms for my friends. On me." She teased, passing out a few keys.

Coach and Nick had a hard time climbing all those stairs. Zack and Ellis took their supplies from them, but it wasn't enough to ease the pain both of them felt in their legs.

"This is worse than that first damn hotel in Georgia." Coach wheezed.

"We're almost there." Kaylee promised. "Just a little more. Think of the nice soft beds!"

Coach looked over at Nick. "Maybe they're made of chocolate."

Nick laughed, his voice hoarse but the amusement was undeniable. Nick clapped Coach on the shoulder and despite the burning in their muscles, both made it to the top. Morgan had her own room key and the first room they passed was the one that matched hers. She set down her heavy pack by the door and unlocked it, trying to avoid Ellis' gaze out of the corner of her eye. Leaving the bag for now, she entered the room shot gun first. The large bed was neatly made; the rich browns of the room making it seem more like home than a hotel should. The window wasn't broken and after checking the bathroom (and behind the shower curtain for potential murderers), she found the room empty. Morgan returned to the hall for her bag and closed the door behind her. She sat down on the bed and undid the laces of her hiking boots, pulling them off and kicking them aside. When she looked up and saw her own reflection, she almost didn't recognize herself. Her face looked pale and tired, a scar on her lip that she never remembered receiving. She stood up and walked back into the bathroom, lugging her back pack with her. She set it down on the toilet and unzipped it, pulling out a small makeup bag and hair brush.

It took quite some time to comb through the knots in her hair. She took out a small pair of scissors and sectioned out her hair with her fingers, snipping off several inches of her blonde locks. Morgan left it shoulder length, tossing all she'd snipped off into the garbage pail next to the sink. From her makeup bag she took out a package of baby wipes and used them to scrub the grime from her face before lining the bottom of her lids with a smooth black pencil. In the mall she had found her favorite shade of red lipstick and couldn't help but take it even though such things were not the essentials. Rochelle always said to enjoy the little things, right? Morgan felt she looked human again, even if the weight loss was not something she could hide with a little blush.

She closed the bathroom door and looked out of the large window. She avoided looking down and instead looked out at the sweeping endless horizon. It was dark now, probably the darkest Las Vegas had ever been. Morgan set out a few candles and lit them, ready to spend the next few hours writing in her journal.

* * *

><p>Just down the hall, Kaylee had lit candles as well. She and Zack lay on the bed, feet resting up by the pillows as they looked up at the ceiling.<p>

"It's almost like we're on vacation." She spoke. "Only the power went out."

"That's a good way to think of it." He chuckled, lacing his fingers in hers.

"I feel like I owe you an apology."

"For what?" He asked, looking over at her.

"For trying to run you over, and letting that Jockey jump on you, and everything else I did because I was mad at you."

"I forgive you. Really, I'm the one who should apologize. I know I have a hundred times but what I did to you back then…I know it hurt you but I felt a hundred times worse. I would sit in my room at night unable to sleep because you were all I could think about. I wanted you and it seemed like you didn't want me the same way. Finding you again was the best thing that ever happened to me. Everything sucks but I have you, and that keeps me going."

"Zack, I don't know what I'd do if I lost you. And I don't mean just dying. I don't want you to ever stop being you because of this. I love you too much." Kaylee spoke, her eyes meeting his.

"Like…Ellis, you mean?"

"I've…never seen…that was just…it was like looking into our future. I hope he's okay and I try to understand but…what if he snaps like Alan did?"

He squeezed her hand. "I won't let anyone hurt you, no matter what mindset they're in."

Kaylee sat up and climbed on top of him, straddling his waist. "So a perfectly sane person won't be laying a hand on me?"

"Well…" He smiled. "Maybe to harm you…"

She folded her arms. "Changing your mind already?"

"Well it's not like I can stop myself from putting my hands on you." Zack smirked, holding her by the hips.

"Like you ever could." She teased, rolling her eyes.

"You love it."

"Zack, no." She laughed. "Someone might hear."

"It's Vegas. These walls are insulated." Zack replied, flipping her onto her back.

Kaylee laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You always know the creepiest things to say."

* * *

><p>Ellis was disappointed when he found his room empty. All he wanted to do was kill infected, but with nothing to face him, all he had was himself. He threw his bag onto the bed and stormed around, throwing the lamps onto the ground just to hear them shatter. When there was nothing left to break, he found the mini bar. He picked up a bottle and held it over his head, aiming at the wall. Before he could throw it, he realized what he picked up. Ellis grabbed a few more bottles and sat on the bed, looking out the window with a cold expression on his face.<p>

He brought the bottle to his lips and took a long drink, the alcohol burning as it went down. He let out a long sigh and drank again.

Coach told him that he just needed time to feel better. "Fuck that." He spoke aloud to the empty room. "Time ain't gonna fix shit. We're all gonna die and nobody can save us now."

* * *

><p>Morgan's writing was interrupted by a knock on the door. She stood and walked quietly to the peep hole, standing on tip toes just to look out. The familiar wolf eyes were looking ahead, somewhat nervously.<p>

She opened the door. "Nick? Is something wrong?"

"I tried Coach's door but he's already asleep. I need some help." He admitted, holding up a first aid kit. "I don't really know what I'm doing. Please tell me you watched Alan a few times or something."

"Oh, yeah come in. I'll help." She smiled softly.

He walked in and set down the first aid kit on the small table. "I think I just popped a few stitches climbing those damn stairs. If you can patch me up, I'll get out of here."

"It's no trouble." She insisted, taking out what she would need. "Is it feeling okay?"

"It hurts like a son of a bitch but I guess it could have been worse."

"Good…good." She nodded. "You'll need to uhh…drop 'em." She pointed.

"Oh." He uttered, cheeks reddening slightly as he reached for his belt. "Yeah."

Morgan kept her eyes on his wound as she got down to her knees to fix his stitching. She pulled out the broken threads carefully. She took out a few cotton balls and applied peroxide to them, feeling awful as she cleaned the raw-looking wound on his leg. She felt him wince only once, giving him credit for being so tough. Stitching him up was easier than she expected, but she didn't rush the job like Coach had. She didn't want them to break again.

Nick only made the mistake of looking down at her once. As soon as he did, visions of her in the river came back to the surface from where he had smothered them and he had to quickly think of infected to calm his nerves.

He fixed his pants after she stood up and helped her pick up the cotton balls from the table to be thrown away.

"You cut your hair." He spoke.

"Oh, yeah." Morgan smiled, touching her hair. "I don't even know why I did."

"It looks good. I like it."

"Thank you." She blushed.

"The makeup is nice too."

"All this flattery." She laughed. "I feel like you're trying to get on my good side."

"No, just noticing." He smiled politely. "I've been worried about you. It's good to know you're feeling alright."

"You've been worrying about me?"

"Well, I know it must be hard in your condition. I just worry." Nick shrugged.

"My…condition?" Morgan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The uh…" He cleared his throat. "Baby…"

"Baby?" She asked, folding her arms. "Nick, do you think I'm pregnant?"

"This is awkward…"

"I'm not pregnant." She said firmly, a smile in her voice. "What made you think…?"

"The throwing up, the…hell I don't know! I feel pretty stupid right now so please stop rubbing it in. I mean, I'm relieved though."

"Why?"

"What?"

"Why are you relieved?" She asked.

"I just…am. It's good that you aren't. Not that I am against the idea of you and Little Peanut bringing new life to this world."

Morgan let out a laugh. "Wow. I'm surprised. That's just…wow…"

"I'm sorry if I offended you. I'll…go now."

"No wait!"

He turned back to face her.

"You don't have to go right now. There's a mini bar and I hate drinking alone. That is, if you aren't going to sleep now or anything."

"Let's have a drink." Nick smiled.

They sat down at the small table, each with their own glass. A candle flickered on the table between them, adding to the calmness of the tiny world around them.

"You were pretty upset in the car today. Do you want to talk about it?" He asked.

Morgan set down her glass on the table, a red lip stain lingering on the rim. "I'm mostly worried. I've felt for a while now that everyone would start dropping off one by one. When it started coming true, I panicked. I've been writing all the time. I used to skip days at a time simply because I didn't care. But now I feel like the world will come crashing down at any moment. If it's true, I want anyone who finds this wasteland to know what those last moments were like."

"I…don't know what to say."

"You can say that I'm crazy." She spoke with a quiet laugh. "Historians will record the end of America as a bad case of the sniffles."

"Hardly." He smiled. "It's not over yet."

Morgan watched him take a drink, feeling oddly optimistic. "You're a very interesting man."

"You think so?" He set down his glass. "I should thank you. After everything we've walked through so far…you've always had my back. Nobody else has been so kind."

"It's just stress that makes everyone that way. You're a good man somewhere in there." She teased. "I've made note of it."

"Great." He laughed. "I'll be remembered as the mobster with the heart of gold."

"Don't give yourself too much credit." She replied, standing up with her glass and walking to the window.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked quietly.

Morgan thought about his question for a moment, letting the glass linger against her lips. "How small we are. I'm just one woman, standing countless feet above the ground looking down at a black sea knowing that hidden in the darkness is endless miles of destruction. Above us is nothing but an endless space filled with an unknown number of stars, planets, and galaxies. The end of the world is quite insignificant now. My short life pales in comparison and when my worth is less than nothing…well…what's left? I can keep fighting, striking down any infected being that wanders too close. But when there is nothing left to destroy, what do I do? I can't rebuild what has been lost, even with the help of my friends. I am small and I wonder if the life I might have if I survive would even be worth living."

"Most of us hold to the idea that everyone else is okay, and just America was destroyed."

"Yes, most of us do. I just have a hard time believing that the same people who corralled the sick in with the healthy were smart enough to shut down airports."

"When you put it that way…" Nick frowned.

"I'm sorry. I must be the worst person to drink with."

"No, not at all." He replied, getting to his feet and standing behind her with his own glass. He saw their reflection on the window and let his gray eyes linger on the dim reflection of her. "I like the way you see things, and the way you think. I'll admit that when we first met I was…less than moral. I was still just a gambling man who liked women almost as much as money. But I've been kicked around harder than I ever have been before and I'm realizing that those things don't hold any value when it comes down to it. If we do get saved, I'll probably go right back to my old habits." He laughed.

"But…" He continued. "Maybe I won't. You've…opened my eyes. I feel things a little deeper, see things a little clearer…and if I have to watch the world end well then fuck, at least I won't miss a moment."

Morgan raised her glass. "Here's to watching the world burn."

Nick smiled and clinked glasses with her. "If it goes down tomorrow, will you have done everything you ever wanted to do?"

"No, but I have a few checks on my list. What about you?"

"There are a few things I might have time to do before this giant rock splits in two." He replied, setting down his glass.

"Like what?" She asked.

Nick gently took her half empty glass from her hand and set it down beside his. Before she could question him, he placed a hand on the back of her head and pressed his mouth to hers. For a brief moment, she returned his kiss. When he pulled away, she met his eyes and uttered quietly. "I think you should go now."

"Okay." He nodded, taking his first aid kit with him as he limped back into the hall.

She put a hand to her lips and closed her eyes. "What am I doing? Ellis…his anger…" She looked out of the dark window, unable to see anything but her own face.

* * *

><p>Ellis had left his room just as Nick had left Morgan's. There was a half empty bottle in his hand as he lumbered out. Even in his state, he knew that the room Nick left was not his own.<p>

Nick looked up and saw Ellis coming toward him, his heart falling down into his stomach as his hands tingled and shook with fear.

"What the fuck were you doing?" Ellis yelled, throwing his bottle against the wall.

"It isn't what it looks like." Nick spoke calmly.

"Then what's that?" Ellis pointed to Nick's hand where a smear of lipstick remained. Nick looked down, remembering wiping his lips with his hand upon leaving.

"Shit…"

"I trusted you!" Ellis yelled, shoving Nick on the shoulders. "You promised me!"

"Ellis, you're drunk. Just calm down."

"Shut up!" Ellis cried, tears in his eyes. "She was all I had left and you felt like you should take that too!"

"Do you have any idea what you did today?" Nick couldn't help but yell. "We're all stressed but you're out of control!"

Kaylee and Zack appeared in their own doorway. Kaylee was wearing Zack's shirt and Zack was only in his boxers, but those little details went unnoticed.

"I'm out of control?" Ellis yelled. "Because I killed a Witch for killing my friend? What have you lost, Nick?"

"This isn't a contest!"

Ellis clenched his fists. "I thought we were friends."

"We are, please just take a deep breath."

"Why should I listen to you?"

"She doesn't love me, Ellis! She chose you! She has always chosen you. I was the one who messed up. Me. Just calm down."

Morgan finally opened her door. "Ellis."

He looked over at her, more emotion on his face than ever. "Morgan?"

She opened her arms. "Come here."

He ran past Nick and into her arms, his head buried into her shoulder. There was alcohol on his breath, but he was just as afraid as anyone else. Morgan just held him for a moment, giving Kaylee a nod that things would be okay.

Kaylee guided Zack back inside and gently closed the door.

"Nick." Morgan spoke before he could walk away. "You come here too."

He reluctantly walked inside and she guided Ellis to the bed before going back to close the door. Nick sat down in his chair from just a few minutes before and tried to avoid looking at Ellis, who was staring him down pretty harshly.

"We shouldn't waste the time we have left hating each other." Morgan spoke. "It just isn't worth it. Look at what it did to Alan."

"Ellis, I wasn't even thinking about the consequences and I'm sorry." Nick spoke. "She helped me stitch my leg and we started talking about death and hell I don't know."

Ellis rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm sorry I yelled at you, Nick. You know I'd never hurt you though. I'd never hurt any of you."

Morgan let out a sigh of relief. "Ellis, I'm just glad to hear you sounding like yourself again."

"I just want to drink some more." He replied.

"Don't we all." Nick sighed, getting up to leave.

"Wait." Ellis spoke, standing up. "I lost a buddy today but I still got you, Nick. Have a drink with me."

"I'm forgiven…just like that?"

"Shoot, Keith pulled that shit way more times than you. That ain't a challenge though so don't be getting' any ideas." Ellis pointed.

"Alright." Nick laughed. "Drinks it is."

Morgan brought over three fresh glasses. "It's a good thing we don't have to pay for this. These mini bars are such a scam."

Ellis passed the bottle around, "Does that 'what happens in Vegas' rule still apply?"

Nick laughed, "I guess so. Why?"

"I've never been drunk in Vegas before. Hell, I never been here before. You hear that, Em? No writing this down."

"Okay, Ellis." She laughed. "I probably won't remember it anyway."

* * *

><p>The east coast was a memory at this point. The bombs had taken care of that. By Christmas, all of America would be blazing with a cleansing fire.<p> 


	34. So Hesitation to this Life I Give

_I'll be saving my good byes for the epilogue. Thank you though, to all my readers. I hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I have writing it. -Paradoxygen._

* * *

><p>About three hours after the drinkers fell asleep in the small room at the end of the hall, the nightmare began. It started with a single infected.<p>

Paul Jefferson had been a good man in his life. He paid his taxes, mowed his lawn, and loved his wife. They had two children and were looking forward to the youngest going off to college in the fall. He took his wife to Las Vegas as a surprise, something their marriage didn't have a lot of. She fell ill the day after they arrived and it only took a few hours for him to begin to feel the bug as well. That was over two months ago. Paul no longer knew any of these things about himself or his life. His existence was solely movement now, finding that the more he moved around, the less he hurt. His wandering had only taken him as far as the main floor of the Mirage Hotel and Casino, but it wasn't the speed that was important. Stumbling through the swinging doors, Paul found himself in a very dark room. Every surface was shiny and smooth, but very sturdy when bumped up against. The smell was unimaginable, but such odors no longer bothered him. His sense of smell was nearly gone. As he shuffled by an abandoned range, his shirt sleeve caught on the front dial. Paul continued to tug at his arm until finally limping free, the dial rotating with him. Gas began to fill the kitchen.

Back upstairs, Coach awoke to the sound of screaming. He'd become a light sleeper over the course of the outbreak and even though the cries were muffled, they were unmistakable. He tore back the sheets, still wearing the clothes he'd come in wearing. His hands fumbled the locks for a moment before getting it open. When he stepped into the darkened hallway, he saw a figure moving at the far end near Morgan's room. Taking his baseball bat from beside the door, he ran at the infected and swung hard.

Zack cried out as something struck him on the back. He tried to land on his hands and knees, but when he fell there was no ground to catch him. He rolled forward down the stairwell, hitting the wall of the landing harder than he would have liked to.

Morgan's door flew open as Nick appeared, frightened face barely lit in the darkness. His pants were on but nothing else and his eyes were looking around frantically.

Coach had no time to notice Nick. He quickly realized his error and was moving down the stairs as fast as he could on his bad knee. "Zack! You okay?"

"The fuck was that for?" Zack moaned, trying to stand up as stars danced across his vision.

"I thought you were an infected. I can't see shit in this light." He apologized, helping him back up.

"What's going on?" Kaylee asked, rifle in her hands.

Nick looked over at her. "I don't know what's going on."

"I heard a scream."

"You heard it too?" Nick spoke, running his hand through his hair. "I thought it was you."

"I thought it was Morgan." Kaylee explained.

"So did I." Zack grunted, hanging onto Coach's arm as they reappeared in the hall.

"It wasn't her." Nick replied with a shake of his head. "She's sleeping."

"Witch." Coach whispered. "It has to be. Everyone get a weapon."

Kaylee handed Zack a fire axe, her rifle already in her hand. Nick walked back into the bedroom to wake up the other two and find a weapon for himself. Coach and the others waited in the hall with their flash lights on.

Nick pulled on his shirt, leaving it unbuttoned for now. He walked over to the side of the bed where Morgan lay fast asleep. Ellis was stretched out on the other side, hat over his face.

"Wake up! We got shit to shoot!" He declared, clapping his hands.

Morgan sat up, pushing her blonde hair from her eyes. "What's happening?"

"Don't know yet. Get up."

She stumbled past him and took her shotgun from the dresser, loading it with the shells she kept in her pockets. Ellis was sitting up, still not fully awake. Nick thrust a bat into his hands before walking back into the hall.

"Of course it stops now that we're all awake." Zack muttered, still sore from Coach's attack.

"You're sure you heard screaming?" Morgan asked.

"Yeah." Kaylee nodded. "I thought it was you."

"Witches don't scream." Ellis spoke. The others turned and looked at him, realizing he was right.

"So what is it?" Nick shrugged. "A survivor or something new?"

"I doubt it's a survivor." Coach mumbled. "Especially alone."

The scream returned at a pitch so high that any glass in the room would have surely shattered. Coach whipped his light at the end of the hall and caught the Witch in its beam. She was indeed the one screaming, but that was not the most disturbing sight. Behind her was a crouched figure in a hoodie, crawling after her on all fours. It pounced through the air and forced her to the ground. It dug its claws into the sockets of her eyes, popping them out effortlessly and flicking them aside. The Witch writhed in his grasp, still alive though unable to see. The Hunter bellowed something inaudible from deep in its belly before gripping onto her head by the empty sockets and smashing it into the ground. Zack stepped free from the others and brought the axe up over his head. As the Hunter looked up, Zack brought the blade down and drove the vile creature face first into the dead Witch. He cleaved his head in two, getting most of the Witch's face with it. He put one foot on the Hunter's shoulder and yanked the axe free.

Morgan covered her mouth in thought as she watched Zack walk back toward them. Ellis had barely made it into the bathroom before throwing up, most of it landing in the empty bathtub. The alcohol wasn't sitting well, and the gore had not helped at all.

"They're attacking each other now." Coach spoke, shaking his head.

"The infected are in the building and they're dangerous." Nick pointed. "I don't know about you but I won't be sleeping tonight. I say we get out of here."

"Where do we go, Nick?" Morgan asked, anger in her voice. "You want to go out on those streets at night?"

"Do you want to stay here and get mauled?" He retorted, his volume rising.

"At least I would see it coming."

"Shut up, you two." Coach barked. "We stay put until sunrise."

The hallway began to shake as if an earthquake was brewing beneath them. However, the Survivors knew better than this. It was hard to say how close, but a beast of a Tank was close by.

"I don't think that's an option." Nick growled, gripping his shotgun.

"Which way should we go?" Morgan asked.

"I say down." Kaylee spoke up. "If that thing is on the roof, what is to stop it from throwing us off? I'd rather take my chances on solid ground."

"There's probably more infected down there." Zack pointed out.

"Well, we could just stand here and let the Tank decide." Nick said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

The wall at the far end near the emergency stairs erupted in a spray of plaster and wood. The Tank roared and thundered toward them, shoulders scraping paintings and light fixtures off the walls.

Nick grabbed Ellis by the back of the shirt and pulled him to his feet. "Run!"

Zack was the last down the stairwell, making it just as the oversized monster slammed against the wall. They barely had time to grip the hand rails, running as fast as they could without losing control. Morgan made it to the bottom floor first, running with the beam of her flashlight bouncing frantically. She slowed down and scanned the room, heart pounding in her chest. The others quickly caught up with her, the sounds of the Tank fading where it was wedged. Eventually it would break free, but they had a few moments to spare.

"Where are we?" Kaylee gasped as she tried to catch her breath.

"I can't tell. It's too damn dark." Nick grunted, hands on his knees.

"I think we're near a kitchen. Smells like shit." Ellis spoke up, feeling queasy again.

From somewhere in the nearby room, the sound of pans crashing to the floor made everyone jump. "Back up, everyone." Coach barked. "Let's go down that hall. Avoid the infected. Fighting will only draw more."

Those at the back of the small line turned around to run the opposite way. Nick looked back and saw the double doors fly open. Morgan grabbed the shotgun from her back and fired. The blast ignited the kitchen like a firework. She flew backwards through a glass display case, hitting the wall like a wet noodle. Hundreds of burning infected flew out around her, with more still pouring out as their greasy flesh melted away from their muscle and bone. Nick shook his head, unable to hear anything after the explosion for several minutes. He fell backwards, tripping over a table.

Kaylee pushed past Zack and ran toward the hungry flames, her gray eyes bright with the reflection of the inferno. "MORGAN!"

Zack grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back just as a chunk of the ceiling came crashing down. Embers shot up like confetti and fluttered down, bits of burning cloth in their wake. An infected came crawling over the rubble, jaws stretched out wide with the skin no longer supporting it. Kaylee gritted her teeth and let her fist fly, hitting it hard enough to knock its head back.

"I'm okay!" Morgan called over the fire.

"Morgan!" Kaylee called. "I can't see you!"

"I'm okay!" She called again. "Keep going! I'll find my way around!"

"I'm not leaving you!" Kaylee yelled angrily.

"I promise you, I will find you! Keep my bag safe!"

Kaylee looked back where Morgan's beaten satchel lay on the ground where it had been flung. She ran over to it and tore the top open. When Morgan said 'bag', Kaylee knew she only meant one thing. She pulled out the leather bound journal, corner singed from flame. She tucked it into her own small bag and ran back to the debris. "Okay, we're going around. Find us, okay?"

There was no answer. Morgan must've already begun going around.

Ellis pulled Nick up from the ground.

"Come on." Coach spoke. "We need to find her before anything else does. Nick?"

Nick coughed and looked around the room. "If we take a left up there, we can go straight until we find where it connects. She should be heading toward the Casino."

"Well then let's go." Ellis declared, leading the way.

The wide corridor was quickly filling up with Infected, all drawn by the sound of the blast. Coach used the butt of his gun to beat down those that got too close. Blood splattered against his face as he cracked another skull, face lighting up from the rapid firing of Kaylee's rifle.

Ellis and Zack stood back to back, wailing on the infected with brute force. Ellis' bat was more red than brown now as he continued to swing. Blood sprayed out in liters the more Zack hacked and sliced. If this were his favorite movie, than the nearby elevators would have opened and filled the halls with even more warm, sticky blood.

"There's no end to them!" Ellis shouted.

The hall way was beginning to fill with smoke as the fire continued on. As they began to cough, the building was shaking once more as the Tank drew close. They watched in horror as a large chunk of the front desk hurdled over their heads and crashed against a nearby wall.

"Tank! Shoot the Tank!" Nick ordered.

Zack and Ellis continued to beat back the never-ending horde while those with weapons began to fire. Kaylee was aiming at the chest, fear rising in her nerves at a level so high she thought she might explode. Reaching to her belt for anything that might help, all she found was a shot of adrenaline. Her eyes darted back and forth, a plan coming together rapidly. The Tank was charging at them, showing no signs of going down any time soon. She pulled the protective plastic off and ran forward. She was still wearing hiking boots. A memory rushed to the front of her mind.

_The sun was at its highest point, beating down on her back and tinting her skin red. She looked up at her friend who was already at the top of the large rock formation. Morgan looked so much healthier then, peachy skin and long blonde hair pulled into a ponytail. _

"_How'd you get up so fast?" Kaylee laughed._

"_Use that rock as a sticking point! Just run and jump off it!" Morgan laughed._

Kaylee aimed at the wall, hooking to the side, catching, and springing off. She reached her arms out and grabbed onto the broad shoulders of the Tank as it ran at her friends. Kaylee slipped once only slightly and pulled herself back up. Arching her arm back, she brought the needle down into the top of the Tank's skull. With a direct shot to the brain, its bloody eyes bulged out and its tongue waggled furiously. The four survivors stepped aside and Kaylee let go. She landed hard on her right hip, but pulled herself up just in time to see the Tank slam through a large chunk of the horde before dying against the wall with a syringe jammed in its head.

Nick picked up the bag she dropped and pulled it over his shoulder. "Everyone okay?"

"I think so." Kaylee coughed.

"We probably shouldn't be running around a burning building." Zack spoke, pulling his shirt up over his nose.

""She promised me she would find a way around." Kaylee spoke firmly.

"I think that is out of her control when the building is on FIRE."

Kaylee slapped his cheek hard enough for everyone standing there to hear. She pushed away and pulled out her gun. Ellis followed after her, followed by Coach and Nick. Zack kept his head low and pressed onward.

* * *

><p>Morgan hadn't gone very far. She made it to the doors of the casino and collapsed against the corner. She looked down where shards of glass poked out of her clothes and skin. Lines of blood were running all down her body. Everything stung, but she found her pain tolerance was much higher than it had ever been. She gripped a shard in her leg and yanked it out, wincing. She tossed it aside and grabbed another in her arm. After pulling three out, she realized it would take too long to even get half of them. She hoisted herself up by grabbing onto the door handle, leaving a smear of blood on the brass as she did so.<p>

Seeing herself in the glass made her eyes wide. Morgan stumbled back, tears rolling down her face before she even knew she was crying. No makeup would ever hide these scars. She pushed against the door, finding it locked. The fire burned brightly behind her and the stress of the situation was too much. Taking her shotgun from her back, she smashed the glass with the butt of the weapon and pushed her way through the hole, not caring when more of her skin was scraped on the way in.

* * *

><p>"This is it." Nick called. "The casino connects to other parts of the hotel. She would have had to come through here to get out."<p>

"As long as it isn't on fire, I don't care where it goes." Zack coughed, holding the door for the others.

Nick paused briefly to admire the many card tables and slot machines. He wondered if there was any money for the taking but scolded himself. _There are more important things._

_Fwoomp fwoomp fwoomp fwoomp_

"Do you hear that?" Kaylee spoke. "There's a helicopter outside!"

"Well I'll be damned!" Coach gasped. "We need to signal it!"

"I'm on it." Zack called, running across the room toward the double doors that led outside. Coach jogged after him, not wanting the boy to wander off alone. Zack pushed through the doors and Coach burst out behind him. A large search light was moving down the street over hundreds of infected. It was heading toward them. There was still time. Coach grabbed a nearby Tiki torch from the tacky island display and ignited it with the lighter from his pocket. He handed it to Zack who, unsatisfied with the size of the flame, dumped out the contents of his last Molotov onto the wicker top. The ball of fire grew three times its size. Zack dashed down the stairs like a true Olympian, taking wide strides with his torch held high.

Inside the Casino, their excited cries had drawn in nearby zombies. They seemed to be pouring out from every dark corner, mouths dripping with black phlegm and eyes so orange and crusted that it was a wonder they could see through them at all. The three held their ground, firing into the swarm as fast as they could pull the trigger. An unstoppable force was plowing through the center, tossing infected aside like rag dolls. By the time they saw that massive arm, it was too late to get away.

The Charger grabbed Nick around the waist and slammed him down onto the hard floor. Something cracked within him and though his friends were filling the mutated human with lead, it brought him up a second time and slammed him down.

The fire was spreading and weakening the building's structure, sending a large stone pillar falling down to the main floor. Kaylee pushed Ellis aside as it fell. The pillar landed on top of the Charger, leaving only its massive arm exposed with Nick still in its grip.

Ellis scrambled along the floor to Nick's side, holding his face. "Hang on, we'll get you out."

"I'm not walking away from this one." Nick moaned.

"Don't say that." Ellis whimpered, pulling on the Charger's hand. "Just hang on."

Kaylee had her eyes on the remaining infected that were still coming closer. She pulled the trigger of her rifle, the empty click echoing in her ears. Her eyes grew wide in horror, looking up as a group of infected can running toward her. She squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself for the inevitable pain.

Ellis looked over his shoulder and saw that he either had to run now or try to save Nick, who didn't look like he would make it either way. He grabbed Nick by the shoulders and pulled him out away from the monster. Nick gritted his teeth but screamed regardless. Ellis looked down in horror at the blood leaking out of Nick's torso. Several white sticks were poking out among the dark blood and it took Ellis a moment to realize they were ribs. He fell to his knees and pulled Nick into his lap as best he could. With his free hand, he began to fire at the infected that ran at them.

Kaylee opened her eyes when she heard a gunshot mere feet away from her. She saw the bloody, beaten body of her friend standing in front of her, facing the opposite direction. Morgan stood like a firm even though glass still decorated her flesh, firing her shot gun again and again. Infected fell all around them in an arc as each spray of shotgun shells took out sections of the swarm.

More were coming at the far end of the casino. Morgan thrust the shotgun into Kaylee's hands and ran to where Ellis sat on the ground with Nick.

Nick was in too much pain. Ellis gently laid him back down flat on the ground and stood up. He rushed to Kaylee's side, helping her fend off the never-ending stream of undead.

Morgan gently touched Nick's cheek. "Stay with me, Nick. Come on, stay awake."

He opened his eyes, mouth drawn back in an agonized scowl. "Morgan?"

"I'm not leaving you behind in here."

"I'm going to fucking die." Nick shuddered, tears burning his eyes as they rolled down his cheeks.

"No." Morgan spoke sternly, "I won't let you."

A ceiling panel gave way a few yards away and came crashing to the ground. Embers shot up and fluttered down, one landing on her shoulder and stinging her. Morgan smacked it away and looked down at his torso, trying to think of a way to move him without making it worse.

"You have to get out of here." Nick moaned. "You can still escape. Just go!"

"No!" She yelled, gripping his hand. "I can't do that, Nick."

"You have your whole life ahead of you."

"So do you." She spoke, looking him in his cold gray eyes.

Finally he embraced her fingers in his, gritting his teeth as each breath seemed to cut him.

Ellis and Kaylee ran to her side, Kaylee dropping beside her. "Morgan, we need to get out of here."

Ellis touched her shoulder but she jerked it away. "I can't go!"

"Morgan, there's nothing any of you can do." Nick choked. "You have to leave me. I'm sorry…"

Kaylee wiped her eye with her sleeve, looking at the doors and then to the spreading flames. "Morgan…please…think of what we've done…"

Ellis grabbed her free wrist. "I'll drag you out if I have to. Please, we have to go!"

Morgan looked down at his hand clutching her wrist, saw Nick let go of her free hand, and slowly brought her gaze up to Ellis' frightened eyes. He could not look her in the eyes, his own falling away sheepishly quickly after they met.

"Let me go." Morgan spoke firmly over the crackle of flames.

Ellis' grip loosened and then released. For a moment he just sat there on the heels of his feet, unsure of what was going on. Morgan grabbed Nick's bag from where it lay beside him and tore her journal from within it. She pushed the book into Ellisi hands and turned back to Nick.

Ellis looked down at the diary and then back at her. "What do you expect me to do with this?"

"I expect you to take it when you leave." Morgan spoke, tears rolling down her cheeks as she looked at the agony on Nick's face. She took his hand again, heart pounding in fear at the weakness of his grip.

Another ceiling panel came crashing down. Kaylee jumped up and grabbed Ellis by the arm, jerking him away from Morgan and Nick. He looked back only once before running out after her. When they broke into the brisk night air, the overwhelming sound of spinning blades overhead filled their ears. The largest helicopter they had ever seen was touching down near an empty patch of road where Coach and Zack stood holding a large torch. Kaylee ran down the stairs toward the large halo of light, a smile cracking her lips as the help they'd longed for was just seconds away.

Nick looked up at Morgan, vision starting to get blurry from the pain and smoke. "What are you still doing here?"

"I'm not leaving you behind." She spoke, trying to smile.

"Get the fuck out." Nick growled, letting go of her hand even though it was the last thing he wanted to do. "Just get the fuck out and put as many fucking miles between us as it takes to forget about me. Go!"

Morgan reached down and grabbed his hand firmly, then took the other as well. "You're going to hate me for this."

She lifted his arms up and began to drag him across the worn rep carpet. She was scooting backwards, making progress but much too slowly. The casino was quickly being overcome by orange flames. They crawled up the wall and licked framed photographs, curling the paper as it burned it away. Nick screamed out in agony, trying to squirm free but giving in. The more he struggled, the worse it felt. Morgan let go of his arms when they'd made it halfway, her bleeding body more tired than it had ever been. She stumbled once and dropped a few inches away from him.

Zack had his shirt pulled up around his nose as he hunched down and made his way back inside. Coach followed behind him, keeping as low as he could.

"There!" Zack pointed, waving him over.

"Grab her and go. I can get him!" Coach barked over the noise of the falling ceiling panels.

Zack got an arm under Morgan's legs and another firm on her back. He lifted her up and moved quickly back through the entrance, soldiers waiting for him just outside. They had one stretcher and moved to put her on it. "No!" He barked. "The next guy is worse! I got her!"

As soon as Coach staggered out with the pale con artist in his arms, Nick was laid onto a stretcher and hauled back to the helicopter just as fast as they could go without starting a panic.

"How the hell are you people alive?" The pilot asked loudly over his headset as the black chopper slowly lifted up into the sky.

"God must hate us." Morgan spoke, taking off her oxygen mask briefly with one shaky hand.

Kaylee took the mask away and put it back over her friend's nose. "Morgan, stop it. Just relax, okay? We're safe."

Morgan nodded, eyelids heavy.

"We weren't even supposed to be out this far." A young solider explained as he starred at them from his seat. He couldn't have been more than twenty, all decked out in riot gear with a shot gun in his lap. "But it was a slow night and Ryan wanted to see the old strip one last time."

"One last time?" Coach asked, wiping his brow.

"Government is burning everything to wipe out the infection for good. The only survivors we've picked up the past few weeks were animals. Some of them are immune too and we don't want to lose entire species if we can help it."

"Did it spread?" Coach asked. "How bad did it get?"

The young man rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Well…America still has Alaska and Hawaii."

"And Canada? Mexico?" Kaylee asked.

"A few infections, but they were quarantined immediately. It never made it out of North America."

"So is the new capital going to be really fucking cold or really fucking hot?" Zack asked.

Kaylee looked over at him and crossed her arms. "Zack…really?"

"Just trying to lighten the mood." He shrugged.

Coach looked over at Nick, wondering if he'd ever seen a sorrier sight. "How far is it to a hospital?"

"We have a ship off shore a few miles. It won't be long."

* * *

><p>Kaylee sat cross-legged on Morgan's small bed. The sheets were clean and crisp to the touch, perfectly white. Kaylee's hair was trimmed up, barely touching her shoulders in the back and just over her collar bones in front. Several days had passed by almost too quickly, and the time spent recovering felt like time wasted for people who had become so used to moving. She carefully ran the thin brush of black nail color over the nails of Morgan's right hand.<p>

Kaylee looked down at the thin slash marks than ran along her friend's fingers and arms. She had not gotten them all at once, though many were from the casino. Each white blemish had been acquired over the months spent in terror, but the blood and dirt had hid them.

"I don't even remember getting half of these." Morgan laughed quietly, trying not to move her hand so the color wouldn't smudge.

"I have a real doosy on my right shoulder blade." Kaylee spoke. "No idea how it got there. My shins are so weird looking. Good bye swim suit season."

"Are you kidding? These are trophies."

Kaylee smiled. "There. Just let it dry."

Morgan looked down at her hand. "Thanks. I like it."

"There's a settlement for American survivors in Canada a few miles from here. Do you think that's where you'll go?"

"I don't know." Morgan spoke. "I have a lot to think about."

There was a brief knock on the door as Ellis walked in. He had a fresh band aid on his cheek, his own scars covered by his long sleeve shirt. "I uh…got somethin' of yours."

"You can come in." Morgan replied.

He walked over and set her journal down gently in her lap. "I figured you'd want to finish what you started. With that and…with me."

Kaylee got up quietly and walked out, sparring one last glance before disappearing into the hall.

"Ellis…I don't know what to say."

"It's alright." He interrupted. "I've been reading your book. I get it."

"Get what?" She asked, honestly confused.

"All that stuff you do…I don't get it. I saw your picture and I just thought it was pretty. I like your stories but I don't think about 'em. Sometimes I look at you and I wonder what you're thinking about but then I tell myself I wouldn't understand if you told me."

"I'm not sure where you're going with this." She frowned.

"I care about you a whole lot, Em. I do. But I know I ain't your soul mate."

"Are you…breaking up with me?"

"You'd rather die with Nick than escape with me. I'm not mad about that anymore because I figured it all out while I was reading." He pointed. "I started at the very first page and I read all day yesterday. I read this morning again up until now and I finished the whole thing, cover to cover."

"What did you realize?" Morgan asked, unsure how to feel.

"Whenever anyone was mad at Nick, you never were. And when you had that nightmare that made those zombies attack the safe house door, he defended you. You two talk about stuff like outer space and life…stuff I never really think about. For a long time I thought he just wanted the last two girls for himself and maybe he did, you know, at first.

But when he saved Kaylee from that witch because she looked like a little girl he once knew, that meant something. I never saw it until now when I read what you wrote. It was like she was his daughter, seeing her like a scared child."

"I never thought of it that way…"

"When you and me were fightin' and we had to walk through the woods, he gave you his jacket. It wasn't because he was trying to piss me off like I thought at the time. He was just…being nice. I don't think he even fell in love with you until way after that, when Alan gave him drugs."

"Ellis, why are you saying all this?" Morgan asked. "What are you trying to tell me?"

"That no matter how much I wish it was different, I'm never going to be the right man for you."

"And you think Nick is?" She asked, her voice rising. "He's thirty-five! I've been twenty for two weeks! I'm sure you can do the math."

"You almost died trying to drag him out of a burning building. Doesn't that mean somethin'?"

"You would have done the same for Keith in my situation."

"Only because I wouldn't know how to live without him. I ain't got a choice about that anymore but you had the choice and you made it."

Morgan looked away from him, letting his words sink in. "You've thought about this a lot."

"If I'm wrong, it wouldn't be the first time." He spoke, looking down at his feet. "But a man can admit when he loses. If you didn't feel something strong for him, he'd be dead right now."

She looked down at her journal and opened it up. "I need some time to myself."

He nodded and walked out, leaving the door open behind him.

Morgan let out a sigh, her head swimming as she opened up to the last blank page. Her eyes caught a folded up scrap of paper tucked neatly between the last pages. She carefully slipped it out and unfolded it. The lettering at the top told her it was paper taken from the Mirage hotel, but she had only written once that night before falling asleep. It didn't take her long to figure out who had put it there.

_Life really dealt me a shitty hand this time. I used to wonder why I wasn't stuck in Atlantic City or Vegas when the infection first hit. I mean, I always figured that if I went, it would be in an alley in one of those shit holes. Nope, I was in Georgia. __Georgia._

_A flu was going to take me down and I couldn't have been more pissed off. I was stuck with three strangers and that idiot Ellis nearly killed us driving out of that mall. But then I met Morgan. I'll admit, I barely paid any attention to her at first. She was bossy and a magnet for trouble, but to her credit, she looked pretty damn good in those shorts. Now Kaylee, she was something. Barely legal, not that I cared. I figured if I played my cards right, I could have 'em both. Why not? Wouldn't be new to me._

_But then, these people started making me soft. __ME__. Nick Dillon, a softy. All of a sudden, Kaylee is like my kid or something and I'm constantly watching out of the corner of my eye to make sure she doesn't shove a fork in an electrical outlet. I want to buy rubber corners for coffee tables and shit like that. She isn't my kid, I've never even had a kid (that I know of) and I'm really pissed that I'm thinking that way._

_Then Morgan makes this fucking drawing. I must've seen shit like this before a hundred times only now it means something. She had the nerve to say I cared about people. Me. What makes it worse is that I realize she is right. These idiots are no longer idiots (Except maybe Ellis) and now, they're my friends._

_And here I am back in my stomping ground. I'm in Vegas again and I should be feeling just like my old self again. But I don't. I'm sitting at a table I used to prop young bimbos on to get dirty, but I'm not even thinking about that. I'm hunched over this paper trying to think of what I want to write. I feel like this is it, the end. I want to write down how I feel right now in case somebody does find it…and I don't want to be remembered as the asshole in the suit. (The really nice suit. The three-thousand dollar suit.)_

_I keep looking over at her asleep on the bed. The moon is positioned just right, and it makes her blonde hair look all ghostly white. I just want to sit here all night watching her sleep because I've never done that. I've never felt like…this. I've never cared about someone so much that I was content in just watching them finally have some fucking peace._

_If she finds this, it'll probably be long after I'm dead. That's good. That's the way it should be._

_-Nick Dillon. _

Nick woke up from another long nap to find that he still felt as bad as he looked. Moving was impossible to do while his bones were mending. All he could do was lay around until he got tired enough to sleep. He looked over at the window, unable to tell what the weather was like outside. The sky was gray, so he imagined cold.

When he moved his head back, he saw a familiar young woman standing at the door. He saw a white square folded neatly in her hand and he realized she had found the message he so stupidly left in her journal. Before he could say anything, she walked over to the side of the bed and ran her fingers through his hair.

"You're wrong." She whispered.

He looked up at her, unable to do anything else.

"This is the way it should be." Morgan whispered, leaning in and kissing him tenderly on his lips.

* * *

><p>Alan had been walking for days. The soles of his shoes were wearing thin and his face was quite sunken in from dehydration. He'd been navigating what was once a beautiful golden wheat field. In time, it might grown back, but for now there was only death and decay. He'd been walking toward a dim square on the horizon and now he stood dumb struck. Alan walked up to the old metal shed and placed a single bruised hand on the wall. It seemed so out of place, the only structure for miles.<p>

A click startled him, and his hand flew off the wall as quickly as he placed it there. He watched in wonder as the door opened on its own, welcoming him to step inside.

He scratched at his short shaggy beard for a moment. A cool rush of air kissed his sun burned cheeks and gave him the only enticement he needed. When Alan disappeared into the darkness of the tiny building, the door swung closed behind him.


	35. Two Years Later

_**Epilogue**_

"Say what you will, I think they're bat shit crazy." Zack sighed, glancing away from the road to look over at Kaylee.

She laughed, her lips pulling back in a grin as she flashed a much healthier smile. Her pale gray eyes were now warm and full, framed by long brown lashes. Her blonde hair hung at her shoulders, two green feathers fluttering from where she'd tied them into the loose strands. Hanging on her shoulders was a loose, gray shirt featuring a faded picture of the Midnight Riders.

"Zack, the infection is gone. They're perfectly safe in New Billings. From what she said in the letter, it's almost exactly like where we live in Canada." She smiled, running her hand through her hair.

"I don't care about how safe it is. It's a five-hour drive!" He whined. "If I never go on another damn road trip it will be too soon."

"Well I'm excited." She replied. "And I'm going to look at houses. I might want to move back to America too."

Zack shook his head, black hair no longer hanging in his face. It was cut short, the stubble on his chin making him look older even though it had only been two years since they escaped.

"Great." He sighed. "We can make another trip and haul our stuff back here."

"What sign was that we just passed?" Kaylee asked, turning around in her seat.

"Walnut Drive." He replied. "Don't worry, I'm paying attention."

"We're almost there." She grinned, clasping her hands together. "She said she had a surprise but wouldn't tell me what."

They pulled slowly into the long driveway, trying to avoid skidding on any ice patches. Beneath a thin blanket of snow, Morgan's new home sat all warm and toasty atop a sturdy foundation. The front porch was empty save some patio furniture, but every window was aglow with light from inside. Several different cars and one motorcycle littered the white lawn outside and Kaylee got out so quickly that she almost forgot to grab her coat.

The front door opened just as the couple reached the last step and Nick greeted them with a friendly smile. "You made it. We were starting to worry."

"Who else is here?" Zack asked, looking back at the cars.

"See for yourself." Nick replied, stepping back to let them in.

As Kaylee stepped through the door she was immediately sent back in time. Everything finally felt as it had nearly three years ago. The house was warm and smelled like pumpkin spice and warm cinnamon rolls. Laughter and voices floated around the space, filling every corner with life. Ellis and Francis were laughing heartily, looking out the window at a small pond covered in ice. Bill was seated on the couch, beer in hand as he watched a hockey game on TV. Louis walked in with a laptop and set it down on the kitchen table, gesturing Ellis over to see what he had on the screen. Coach's voice could be heard from the kitchen as well as Morgan's light laughter.

"Hey, if it isn't Kaylee!" Francis spoke loudly, walking over to say hello.

"F-francis!" She grinned in surprise. "I haven't seen you since we went through that hospital!"

"Yeah, I hated that place! I heard all about your crazy escape. Me and those guys just went straight up to Canada."

"Did you stay there long?" Zack asked.

"Nah, I hated Canada." Francis waved.

"What a shock." Nick smirked, sticking his hands in his pockets.

"Hi, Kaylee!" Louis smiled happily, giving her a wave.

Ellis turned around and saw the pair that just walked in. "Look who finally showed up!"

Kaylee laughed as he jumped over the back of the couch and wrapped her in a friendly bear hug. Bill grunted at being jostled about, but said nothing.

"I'm sorry." She giggled as Ellis stepped back. "We had to wait until Zack could get time off at the mill."

"S'alright." He nodded. "I just got here yesterday with Francis. We both live in the next town over about twenty miles away. Did ya hear about the shop?"

"No, I don't think so." She replied, shaking her head.

"I found them again after we got to Canada and we got to talkin' about my old mechanic shop. So Francis got the idea to come down here and open up a place of our own. I didn't know shit about motorcycles but he knows damn near everything so it works out."

"That's great." Kaylee smiled.

Ellis leaned in, "But between you n' me, he spends more time shootin' pool than fixin' bikes."

"It's the off season!" Francis defended, sitting down to catch up on the game.

Kaylee turned to Nick, "Are Coach and Morgan busy? I haven't seen her in forever."

"They've been cooking in there since noon." He replied, checking his watch. "But I think she'll take a break if you ask."

She grabbed Zack by the hand and pulled him along. He laughed and followed after her, feeling the effect of the happy home.

Coach was standing behind the small island with Morgan beside him. A large tray of cinnamon rolls was in the process of being iced and something juicy was cooking in the oven. They both looked up at the same time.

"Kaylee!" Morgan grinned, setting down her icing bag. "You look so good!"

"Oh, Em, you're glowing with health!" Kaylee giggled, clasping her hands together. "I have to hug you!"

Morgan stepped out from behind the counter, a small blush on her cheeks. Kaylee gasped and paused, stopping herself from plowing Morgan to the floor. She was wearing a black cotton dress that had long sleeves and a hem that fell at her mid-thigh. Her hair had grown out again, hanging in a loose fishtail braid over her shoulder. But her good health wasn't what made Kaylee gasp. Even in the dark fabric, the large swell of her stomach was hard to hide.

"Oh my goodness!" Kaylee exclaimed, covering her mouth. "Is this the surprise?"

"I didn't want to tell you by mail." Morgan smiled.

Kaylee walked over and touched her bump. "How far are you?"

"Seven months."

"You girls catch up." Coach spoke. "I can finish these."

"I've made up my mind." Kaylee began, following Morgan into the empty dining room. "I'm moving here and bringing Zack with me. There's no way all these idiot men can help you take care of a baby."

Morgan laughed, "Oh, I'd love having you close but Nick has been more than I could ask for. You don't need to make any rash decisions."

"How are you two doing? Do you have enough money for this?"

"You wouldn't believe how much money he picked up between Georgia and Nevada. The house is paid for, he's working at the pool hall downtown, and my book royalties are a big enough nest egg for anything we might need."

"I have to give you credit…I never thought you'd actually write that book."

"I came in contact with a college student from North Carolina that kept his camera with him through his own escape. He provided me with amazing pictures of nearly every type of infected we encountered, as well as landscape shots. What I couldn't get, I painted from memory. I'm surprised at how popular the book was, but I guess I shouldn't be."

"What about your journal? What did you do with that?" Kaylee asked.

"I still have it. It's in a box in the closet." Morgan smiled, taking a seat. "I've started a new journal and it is a much nicer read."

"I can imagine." Kaylee smirked, sitting down across from her. "I don't think I've ever seen you happier."

"This isn't a world I would've ever asked for, but things are getting better…one small town at a time. Our little boy is going to grow up safe, and that's all I could ask for."

"Do you ever think about the uh….age difference?"

Morgan shook her head. "No. It doesn't bother us. We're both just lucky to be alive; we all are."

"That's the truth. So, a boy huh?"

"Yeah." Morgan smiled. "Nick's really excited but he'd never admit it around any of you guys."

"How far away are Francis and Ellis? They mentioned living in the next town."

"It's about a half an hour drive. We've gone three times to see them. It's a nice little place but the people there are a bit rough around the edges. Louis just moved here last month. He has an apartment downtown next to the radio station where he works. Coach went back to teaching at the new school and Bill has a cabin about an hour away. You and Zack are the only ones so far away."

"And that's going to change." Kaylee declared. "We have enough saved to move down here. I'll drive around tomorrow and look for a place. I'm tired of Canada anyway."

Zack appeared from around the corner and paused in the door frame. "You girls ready to join us for dinner?"

"Yeah, we'll be right there." Kaylee nodded.

Morgan stood up slowly and followed Kaylee into the living room where everyone was already dishing up plates and squeezing onto the sofas and chairs.

"We have a table, you know." Morgan smirked.

"Where's the sense of togetherness in that?" Louis laughed.

Nick walked up behind Morgan and handed her a plate. "I saved you a spot on the couch."

She smiled and took the plate from him. "It's just my luck that one of the few channels we actually get from over there is sports."

"Hockey is only a sport because it's violent." Bill spoke, taking a sip of beer.

"Me and Francis were talkin' about starting up a game of our own out on the pond." Ellis spoke.

"Ellis, that ice is barely and inch thick. You'd fall through and get pneumonia." Nick sighed.

"Spoil sport…" Ellis muttered.

* * *

><p>It was well past midnight when everyone had gone home. Kaylee and Zack were both asleep in the guest room and Morgan was alone in her quiet place.<p>

The attic was small, but the ceiling was high enough to stand up comfortably. A wide glass sky light allowed moon light to filter in from above, providing a perfect view of the moon and stars every night. The walls were painted with various murals, the most elaborate being a colorful peacock with feathers made of flame. It took up the entire west wall, painted with careful brush strokes. A cricket sat on the ledge outside the window, serenading her with a quiet song. Morgan chewed her lip for a moment, flicking the tip of her tongue across the thin white scar. In her lap was a leather bound journal, clean and new. She wrote with a delicate precision that had been absent from her previous diary. Taking a compass from the small table beside her chair, she slipped her pencil into the small slot and slowly drew a half circle onto the page. She looked up at the moon and then back to her page.

The wood creaked as Nick came up the wooden spiral stairs. He paused at the banister and looked over at her, a small smile on his lips. "You coming to bed, Sweetheart?"

"There's something different tonight…"

"Hmm?" He asked, walking over to her.

"I could've sworn I saw something…" She shook her head. "Oh I don't know."

He chuckled and bent down in front of her, gently sliding the journal out of her lap. "The stars will all be there tomorrow night."

"Well…they're probably all dead. By the time their light reaches us, they may have already fizzled out." Morgan smirked.

Nick shook his head, unable to hide his grin. He slipped into the wide chair beside her, pulling her into his lap. She laid her head on his shoulder, nose pressed against his warm neck. He placed his free hand on the curve of her stomach.

Her hand met his, slipping over the tips of his fingers. She guided his hand a little lower. "Do you feel that?"

"Yes." He nodded. "What is it?"

"It's Benjamin's heart beat." Morgan smiled.

He allowed his hand to linger there for a moment before looking over at her. "I never thought I'd be like this."

"Like what?"

"Happy." He shrugged, looking down at his hand. "I thought I'd be a conman until I fell over dead."

"Nick, you rob people all the time."

"Well yeah, but not for a living." He smirked. "Just to keep up the skill…"

Morgan moved her hand under his jaw, bringing his lips to hers. She kissed him tenderly for a moment and then scooted carefully out of his lap. "Do you want to go to bed?"

"That's why I came looking for you." Nick grinned, following her down the stairs.

She moved down the dark hallway, taking off her earrings as she walked. Once behind the bedroom door, Nick undid the zipper of her dress. She let it fall, waking to the closet to take one of his nice shirts. He watched her from the foot of the bed as she buttoned a few buttons, leaving most of them undone.

"I have another story for you. Would you like to hear it?"

"You know I do." He replied quietly, removing his own shirt and tossing it onto a nearby chair. He stood up and unbuckled his pants before stepping out of them.

Morgan gave him a playful smile as she settled down onto the bed. "It's about sin and eternal life…"

He sat down on the bed and turned out the light before lying down. He rolled onto his side, watching her features slowly come into view as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. She scooted up against his warm chest, lips inches from his neck as she began to quietly tell him the story of the Phoenix who loved. He kept her close, a habit he'd formed some time ago.

On the top shelf of their closet, her journal sat alone in a box much too big. Its pages had been written on with seventeen different pens and two pencils. Some of the blood on it was hers and the rest was a mystery. Several pages had been stuffed in, torn from Alan's small notebook and other various leaflets that had been handed out during the first wave of the infection. Four different sketches had been scribbled in throughout, mostly just scenes she wanted to remember. On the last page, written in black ink, was one sentence.

_Man dies of cold, not of darkness._

_-Miguel de Unamuno._

* * *

><p><em><strong>If I could go back and iron out some of the bumps, I would. Personal pickiness aside, I want to thank every single one of my readers. This has been a lot of fun and it was good to prove to myself that I could write a story from start to finish. But this is only the beginning. What began as a humorous way to spend some free time while on vacation has turned into something I can really sink my teeth into. I've been researching, playing, and discussing with a few readers for some time now and I'm proud to say that yes, there will be a sequel.<strong>_

_**With this story and its critics to look back on, I feel I can do even better. Before I start talking your ears off about plots and what-have-you, I'm going to wrap this up and say "I'll see you soon." Things will only get better from here.**_

**_-Paradoxygen_**


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